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CAMP  KITS 


AND 


CAMP  LIFE 


BY 

CHARLES  STEDMAN  HANKS 

• ; 
"NIBLICK" 

Author  of  "  Hints  to  Golfers  " 


^ 


NEW  YORK 

CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS 

1906 


a 


i^ 


Copyright,  1906,  by 
CHARLES  STEDMAN  HANKS 


Entered  at  Stationers'  Hall,  London,  England 
All  rights  reserved 

Published  May        1906 


THE    OUTING    PRESS 
DEPOSIT,     N.    Y. 


I  DEDICATE  THIS  BOOK  TO  THE  MEN  WHO  HAVE  BEEN  MY 
GUIDES  FROM  THE  TIME  I  FIRST  WENT  INTO  THE  WOODS, 
WILL  AND  LISH  SHAW,  FRED  GRINDELL,  JOHN  HANSCOM, 
JOE  BOUCHARD,  TOMMY  GERARD,  GEORGE  PARKS,  ED 
HARLOW,  JOE  FRANCIS,  FRED  AND  JEWETT  SPENCER, 
SUMNER  POTTER  AND  FRED  GILMAN,  AS  FINE  A  SET  OF 
MEN    AS    ONE    COULD    WISH    TO    HAVE    FOR    FRIENDS. 

CHARLES   STEDMAN  HANKS 


CONTENTS 


I. 

II. 

III. 

IV. 

V. 

VI. 

VII. 

VIII. 

IX. 

X. 

XI. 

XII. 

XIII. 

XIV. 

XV. 

XVI. 


PAGE 

The  Preliminary  Canter  ....       1 

The  Man  Behind  the  Gun  .15 

The  Wangan    .......     25 

Camps  and  Camp  Fires      .  .  .  .39 

Camp  Cooking  .......     60 

What  to  do  if  Lost  in  the  Woods  .         .81 

Some  Trout  that  Taught  Me  Something  About 
Angling         .  .....     89 

Some  Black  Bass,  Sir,  that  I  Didn't  Get  .    109 

Some  Lake  Fish  that  Played  with  Me   .  .115 

Some  Deer  that  I  Have  Met  .  .  .    122 

Some  Moose  that  I  Know  About     .         .  .   152 

Some  Geese  and  Ducks  that  Flew  Away  .   160 

Some  Partridges  that  Taught  Me  a  Thing  or 
Two 177 


Some  of  the  Pleasures  of  Trapping 
Some  Suggestions  about  Camping  Out 


190 
221 


Some  Remedies  for  Sickness  or  Accidents  in 
Camp      ........  230 


IX 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 


Life  in  the  Wilds 

One  Reason  Why  We  Go  into  the  W 

Frontii 
oods 

piece 

PAGE 
1 

A  Reminder  of  Wood  Life 

14 

Ready  for  Business  •. 

15 

Steady! 

23 

The  Wangan  Bag 

25 

Ready  for  the  Wilds 

31 

The  Cooking  Kit 

33 

Leaving  Civilization    . 

37 

A  Temporary  Camp 

39 

A  Lean-to  Camp  . 

41 

A  Fire  Built  for  the  Night 

45 

The  Quickest  Camp  to  Set  Up    . 

46 

Known  in  the  Woods  as  a  Kennel 

47 

Rabbit  Tracks   in   Snow     . 

50 

Housekeeping       .... 

49 

After  the  Day's  Work  Is  Over 

59 

Getting  Ready     .... 

60 

The  Simplest  Way 

62 

The  Common  Way 

63 

Luncheon  Time    .... 

80 

Hard  to  Find  when  You're  Lost 

81 

Telling  about  It  Aj-terward 

88 

xi 

List  of  Illustrations 


Lake  and  Brook  Trout 

A  Good  Place  for  Trout    . 

A  Day's  Record  . 

Patience  Is  Everything 

Satisfied  with  His  Catch    . 

Enough  for  Breakfast 

An  Unexpected  Shot  . 

Rocky  Mountain  Blacktail 

Our  Best  Week's  Work 

A  Love  Call 

Getting  a  Shot  after  Dark 

Shot  with  a  Camera    . 

Seasoning     .... 

Stealing  on  to  a  Bunch  of  Ducks 

Gravelling  .... 

Guarding  the  Nest 

Cock  Partridge    . 

A  Mink  Trap 

Changing  Camp     . 

A  Bear  Trap 

Otter  Tracks  on  Snow 

Getting  into  an  Unfrequented  Country 

Tump-line  and  Load     . 

Getting  Back  to  Civilization 

Headquarters 

Taking  an  Injured  Man  Out 

Starting  for  Home 

Waiting  for  the  Train 


Xll 


CAMP  KITS  AND  CAMP  LIFE 


O 


CHAPTER  I 

THE   PRELIMINARY   CANTER 

Men  who  go  hunting,  you  will  find,  are  divided 
into  three  classes:  first,  those  who  in  a  lazy  way  in 
the  summer  time  do  a  little  shooting  when  there  is 

nothing  else  to  do;  sec- 
ond, those  who  go  into 
the  woods  as  soon  as  the 
game  laws  are  off  with  the 
idea  of  cracking  away  at 
anything  and  everything 
which  comes  in  sight;  and 
third,  the  real  hunter  who 
goes  late  in  the  fall  and  is 
willing  to  suffer  a  little 
from  tingling  fingers  in 
order  to  get  a  few  good 
shots.  Don't  go  in  June  or  July,  if  you  can  go  at 
any  other  time,  because  at  this  time  black  flies  are  a 
pest  and  keep  you  busy  until  late  in  the  afternoon, 
and  midges,  which  the  Indians  call  "Bite  'em,  no  see 
'em,"  begin  their  work  about  sunset.  Don't  deceive 
yourself  that  a  head  net  will  keep  them  off.  It  may 
do  it  with  most  of  them,  but  those  adventurous  dis- 

1 


One  Reason  Why  We  Go 
into  the  Woods 


1 


Kinds  of  Guns 

coverers  which  get  inside  the  net  will  neither  let  you 
kill  them  nor  get  out,  and  the  net  will  deprive  you  of 
the  use  of  your  pipe.  When  you  are  making  up  your 
list  of  the  things  to  take,  keep  in  mind  that  the  amount 
of  pleasure  which  you  will  have  will  depend  not  only 
upon  your  knowledge  of  woodcraft  but  also  upon 
being  so  well  equipped  for  roughing  it  that  the  novelty 
of  being  dependent  upon  your  own  supplies  and  your 
own  resources  will  not  be  offset  by  too  many  personal 
discomforts. 


Getting  Acquainted  with  a  Gun 

As  it  is  one  of  the  laws  of  give  and  take  that  cheap 
guns  make  bad  shots,  and  as  a  bad  shot  always  makes 
a  disgusted  sportsman,  buy  the  best  gun  your  purse 
will  stand.  There  is  a  large  variety  to  choose  from 
between  single-barrel  shot-guns,  carbine  rifles,  re- 
peating rifles,  repeating  shot-guns,  combination  guns 
with  one  barrel  for  cartridges  and  the  other  for  shells, 
the  three-barrel  guns  with  two  barrels  for  shells  and 
a  rifle  barrel  underneath,  guns  opening  at  the  breech 
with  a  side  or  a  top  bolt,  and  "take-down"  guns,  or 
those  with  the  barrel  held  in  position  by  a  spring, 
these  going  into  the  gun  case  in  two  pieces,  and, 
therefore,  taking  up  little  space  when  travelling. 

After  you  have  decided  upon  the  kind  of  gun,  the 
first  thing  to  do  is  to  pick  out  one  that  "fits."  If  the 
eye  does  not  catch  the  sights  the  moment  you  bring 
it  to  the  shoulder,  the  stock  is  either  too  straight  or 
too  bent.    Then  see  if  it  balances.     If  it  does  not, 

2 


The  Weight  of  a  Gun 

the  stock  is  too  long  or  too  short,  or  the  barrel  too 
light  or  too  heavy,  some  guns  being  muzzle  hght  and 
others  muzzle  heavy.  In  other  words  the  barrel 
should  neither  feel  so  heavy  that  it  seems  to  be  pull- 
ing down,  nor  so  light  that  it  does  not  steady  itself. 
As  the  stock  of  a  shot-gun  has  more  drop  than  the 
stock  of  the  ordinary  rifle,  many  sportsmen  have  shot- 
gun stocks  put  on  to  their  rifles,  so  that  they  will  not 
have  to  twist  their  heads  in  taking  aim,  which  to 
some  extent  affects  the  eyesight. 

Many  men  make  the  mistake  of  choosing  too 
heavy  a  gun,  which  is  apt  to  make  one  sit  down  too 
frequently  and  think  it  over.  A  12  to  16  gauge  shot- 
gun, weighing  from  six  to  eight  pounds,  according  to 
one's  fancy,  is  right  for  ducks,  a  30.30  carbine  rifle 
is  large  enough  for  a  deer  and  a  30.40  for  a  moose  if 
hit  in  a  vital  spot,  although  many  hunters  believe  in 
a  larger  bullet  so  that  a  larger  hole  will  let  out  more 
blood  to  track  the  game  by. 

On  a  hunting  trip  take  both  a  shot-gun  and  a  rifle, 
and  when  you  leave  camp  for  a  day's  tramp,  decide 
before  you  start  what  you  are  going  after.  If  you 
are  after  birds  you  will  want  your  shot-gun,  if  after 
a  deer  or  a  moose,  your  rifle.  If,  however,  you  are 
after  any  game  which  may  show  itself  take  your  shot- 
gun with  one  barrel  loaded  with  buckshot  for  deer, 
and  the  other  with  smaller  shot  for  ducks  or  par- 
tridges, or  take  your  rifle  and  have  some  of  your 
cartridges  loaded  with  shot. 


n 


The  Parts  of  a  Gun 

"Lock,  stock  and  barrel,"  was  the  way  our  ances- 
tors in  revolutionary  times  described  a  gun,  and  we 
use  the  same  terms  to-day.  The  lock  is  the  steel 
frame  in  the  middle  of  the  gun  and  is  the  part  which 
holds  the  stock  and  barrel.  That  part  of  this  steel 
frame  into  which  the  mechanism  of  the  hammer  and 
trigger  goes  is  called  the  receiver,  and  the  plates 
covering  the  receiver  the  side  plates. 

Stock  and  Barrel 

That  part  of  the  stock  which  goes  against  the 
shoulder  is  the  butt,  the  lower  part  of  the  butt  the 
toe,  the  upper  part  the  heel,  and  the  distance  between 
the  heel  and  a  line  continued  along  the  barrel  to  a 
point  over  the  heel  the  drop  of  the  stock.  The  flat- 
tened part  of  the  stock  is  the  comb,  the  part  which 
receives  the  lock  the  bed,  and  the  wooden  part  under 
the  barrel  the  shoulder  or  forearm.- 

The  part  of  the  barrel  at  the  end  of  the  gun  is  the 
muzzle,  and  the  part  next  the  lock  the  breech,  hence 
the  term  a  breech-loader.  In  a  shot-gun  the  part 
between  the  two  barrels  is  the  rib.  The  chamber 
under  the  barrel  which  holds  the  cartridges  is  the 
magazine.  The  movable  piece  at  the  breech  end  of 
the  barrel,  which  slips  back  when  a  cartridge  is 
pumped  into  the  barrel,  is  the  breech-block,  and  the 
small  steel  rod  in  the  breech-block  which  is  driven 
against  the  cartridge  or  shell  when  the  hammer  falls, 
is  the  breech-pin  or  firing  pin. 

The  hammer  is  the  steel  plunger  which  is  driven 
against  the  firing  pin  to  cause  the  concussion,  and 

4 


The  Gauge  of  a  Gun 

the  trigger  is  the  lever  which  releases  the  hammer, 
this  being  protected  by  a  curved  piece  of  steel  called 
the  guard.  The  main  spring  is  the  spring  which 
drives  the  hammer  against  the  firing  pin,  the  tumbler, 
a  triangular  piece  of  steel  v/hich  catches  the  hammer 
at  half  or  full  cock,  and  the  trigger  spring,  the  spring 
which  keeps  the  trigger  in  position. 

The  gauge  of  a  shot-gun  means  the  diameter  of 
the  barrel,  a  10  gauge  gun  meaning  that  a  round 
bullet,  ten  of  which  will  weigh  a  pound,  will  exactly 
fit  it.  A  choke  barrel  is  one  with  the  diameter  smaller 
at  the  muzzle  than  at  the  breech  to  prevent  the  shot 
scattering,  most  shot-guns  having  one  barrel  choked 
and  the  other  open,  the  open  barrel  being  called  a 
cylinder  barrel.  No  gun-barrel,  however,  as  bored 
to-day,  is  a  true  cy Under,  every  barrel  being  drawn 
in  a  trifle  toward  the  muzzle  like  a  cone.  In  a  shot- 
gun, as  the  pellets  of  shot  are  jammed  violently  to- 
gether just  before  they  leave  the  barrel,  more  or  less 
of  them  are  "upset"  or  so  crushed  that  they  lose 
their  sphericity  and  become  ineffective,  some  flying 
off  at  an  angle  and  others  losing  their  velocity.  This 
you  will  notice  when  firing  a  charge  of  shot  over  the 
water,  as  the  shot  will  strike  the  water  in  a  string 
from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  long.  What  portion  of 
the  shot  is  ineffective  depends  upon  the  gun,  the 
powder  and  the  kind  of  shot  used ;  with  modern  guns 
and  smokeless  powder,  the  killing  part  of  the  load 
being  seventy  per  cent,  of  the  shot  at  fifty  yards, 
thirty  per  cent,  dropping  to  the  ground  or  not  flying 
true.    To  prevent  as  much  as  possible  shot  losing 

5 


Muzzle  and  Breech  Sights 

their  sphericity  and  becoming  ineffective,  they  are 
now  made  hard  by  chiUing  them. 

The  Sights 

Of  the  different  kinds  of  sights  some  are  only 
used  for  target  practice  and  others  only  for  hunting. 
The  common  muzzle  sights  are  the  Rocky  Mountain 
sight,  a  long  strip  of  brass  rounding  up  from  the  bar- 
rel, and  running  lengthwise  with  it;  the  knife  blade 
sight,  a  strip  of  ivory  or  Grerman  silver  similar  in 
shape  to  the  Rocky  Mountain  sight;  the  clover  leaf 
sight,  shaped  something  like  a  clover  leaf;  the  pin 
head  sight,  a  small  brass  knob  on  the  barrel;  the  peep 
or  globe  sight,  a  small  disk  in  the  centre  of  a  steel 
cylinder;  and  the  Lyman  ivory  bead  sight,  a  sight 
especially  good  for  quick  shooting  in  a  poor  light. 
The  common  breech-sights  are  the  peep  sight;  the 
ratchet  sight,  a  sight  regulated  by  moving  a  ratchet 
back  or  forward  on  notches  on  the  barrel;  the  buck 
horn  sight,  a  rounded  sight  shaped  Uke  a  buck's  horn 
with  a  notch  in  the  centre;  Lyman's  folding  leaf 
sights,  or  two  sights  which  fold  over  to  give  different 
elevations;  Lyman's  combination  sight  or  a  sight 
which  raises  and  lowers  on  a  screw;  and  Lyman's 
receiver  sight,  a  cylinder  sight  close  to  the  hammer 
to  aid  one  in  getting  the  other  sights  quickly. 

Suggestions  About  Sights 

See  that  the  breech-sight  is  set  well  forward  so  that 
you  can  see  it  clearly  in  order  to  shoot  accurately. 

6 


The  Best  Sight 

Although  many  sportsmen  use  peep-sights  when 
hunting,  open  sights  are  far  superior  for  quick  shoot- 
ing in  a  dim  Ught. 

Remember  that  no  metal  shows  so  well  in  differ- 
ent hghts  as  ivory  or  white  agate.  If  you  use  an 
ivory  sight  be  careful  not  to  get  any  oil  on  it  when 
cleaning  your  gun  as  this  takes  away  its  lustre. 

Remember  when  shooting  game  that  there  is  sel- 
dom more  than  a  few  inches  to  spare  above  and  be- 
low the  mark,  but  several  inches  along  the  horizontal 
line.  The  top  of  the  front  sight,  therefore,  should  be 
flat,  as  a  flat  front  sight  does  not  mean  any  sacrifice 
of  accuracy  on  the  vertical  line,  the  best  front  sight 
being  a  bar  about  as  thick  as  the  head  of  a  pin  with 
the  back  edge  sUghtly  sloping. 

Remember  that  the  use  of  the  back  sight  is  to 
cut  off  enough  of  the  front  sight  to  give  the  right 
horizontal  range.  Getting  the  vertical  range  is  child's 
play  compared  with  it.  For  quick  shooting,  there- 
fore, the  back  sight  should  not  be  obstructed  by  any 
sides  or  horns  Uke  the  buck  horn  sight,  a  straight, 
short  bar  without  any  slope  or  notches  being  the  best 
kind.  With  this  kind  of  a  sight  you  will,  instinc- 
tively, get  the  centre  for  the  vertical  shooting  line 
when  you  raise  your  rifle.  If  you  need  a  notch  cut 
a  Une  with  your  knife  in  the  centre  of  the  bar. 

Remember  that  lifting  the  back  sight  forces  the 
breech  down,  which  makes  the  gun  shoot  higher;  that 
lowering  the  back  sight  makes  it  shoot  lower;  that 
lowering  the  forward  sight  makes  it  shoot  higher; 
that  moving  the  breech-sight  from  left  to  right  makes 

7 


The  Numbering  on  Shells 

it  shoot  further  to  the  right;  and  that  moving  the 
front  sight  from  left  to  right  makes  it  shoot  to  the 
left. 

Remember  that  all  front  sights  and  leaf  sights 
are  driven  into  the  barrel  slot  from  the  right-hand 
side. 


Cartridges  and  Shells 

A  cartridge,  as  we  all  know,  is  the  metallic  case, 
or  the  burr  as  it  is  often  called,  which  holds  the  powder 
and  bullet,  and  a  shell  the  pasteboard  case  which 
holds  the  powder  and  shot,  the  different  parts  of  a 
cartridge  being  the  percussion  cap,  the  powder  or 
primer  and  the  bullet;  the  different  parts  of  a  shell 
being  the  percussion  cap,  the  powder,  two  or  three 
wads  of  felting  or  cardboard,  then  the  shot,  with 
sometimes  a  wad  between  each  layer,  and  then  a  wad 
of  cardboard. 

The  size  of  the  shot  in  a  shell  is  designated  by 
numbers  or  letters  on  the  outside  of  the  shell.  Large 
shot,  which  are  known  as  buckshot,  are  numbered 
according  to  their  size  from  zero  to  eight,  the  zero 
number  meaning  that  there  are  three  buckshot  to 
a  layer  and  three  layers,  number  one  meaning  that 
there  are  four  buckshot  to  a  layer  and  three  layers, 
and  the  other  numbers  indicating  still  smaller  sizes. 

Shot  smaller  than  buckshot  are  known  as  chilled 
or  dropped  shot.  The  largest,  which  is  numbered 
000,  is  a  little  smaller  than  the  smallest  buckshot,  the 
next  sizes  being  00,  0,  BBB,  BB,  B.     After  this  they 


The  Numbering  on  Cartridges 

are  numbered  from  one  clown  to  twelve,  number  one 
being  used  for  geese,  number  two  for  foxes,  number 
three,  four  and  five  for  duck,  number  six,  seven  and 
eight  for  partridges,  number  nine  and  ten  for  snipe, 
peep,  and  smaller  birds,  and  number  eleven  and 
twelve  for  small  birds  to  be  stuffed,  these  being 
known  as  dust  shot. 

Cartridges  are  numbered  according  to  the  diame- 
ter of  the  bullet,  its  weight  and  the  amount  of  powder 
used,  a  32-40-185  cartridge  meaning  that  the  diam- 
eter of  the  bullet  is  32-100  of  an  inch  in  its  widest 
part,  that  the  powder  weighs  40  grains  and  the  bullet 
185  grains.  A  32-40-185  rifle,  therefore,  means  that 
the  barrel  is  made  for  a  bullet  with  a  diameter  of 
32-100  of  an  inch,  and  that  the  bore  of  the  barrel  is 
such  that  40  grains  of  powder,  acting  on  a  bullet 
weighing  185  grains,  gives  to  the  bullet  the  proper 
twist  or  spin  to  keep  it  "front  on"  to  the  limit  of  its 
range,  thus  insuring  the  best  possible  accuracy,  as 
too  slow  a  twist  makes  the  bullet  tumble  or  duck  as 
it  is  called,  and  too  quick  a  twist  makes  it  so  unsteady 
in  its  flight  that  it  wabbles. 

As  the  velocity  of  a  bullet  depends  largely  on  its 
shape,  and  its  killing  power  upon  the  softness  of  the 
lead,  many  different  kinds  of  bullets  are  made.  For 
long  range  accuracy,  a  long  bodied  bullet  is  indis- 
pensable, and  a  round  ball  made  of  soft  lead  is  the 
one  which  flattens  the  best  when  it  strikes.  These 
soft  lead  bullets  are  known  as  mushroom  bullets,  some 
being  made  to  flatten  by  having  holes  bored  into 
them,  some  by  being  hollow,  and  some  by  having 


The  Flight  of  a  Bullet 

narrow  steel  bands  around  them  to  flatten  the  head 
of  the  bullet  on.  Other  bullets  are  express  bullets  or 
those  with  long  bodies  and  fired  with  an  enormous 
amount  of  powder,  these  getting  their  killing  power 
from  the  velocity  with  which  they  strike;  explosive 
buUets  or  those  which  have  explosives  of  some  kind 
in  them  which  make  them  fly  to  pieces  when  they 
strike ;  and  patched  bullets  or  those  which  are  covered 
with  thread,  parchment,  Unen  or  other  thin  material, 
which  is  smeared  with  tallow  to  make  them  carry 
more  accurately. 


The  Trajectory  or  Flight  of  Rifle  BuUets 

From  the  instant  a  bullet  leaves  the  muzzle  of  a 
rifle  until  it  strikes  the  target  it  moves  in  a  curved 
fine,  although  for  some  distance  no  deviation  from  a 
straight  line  can  be  detected.  This  curved  path  which 
the  bullet  describes  is  called  its  trajectory,  and  is  due 
both  to  the  upward  motion  which  the  resistance  of 
the  air  gives  it  and  to  the  downward  motion  which 
it  gets  from  the  force  of  gravity,  the  downward  mo- 
tion only  showing  itself  when  the  velocity  of  the 
bullet  begins  to  die  away.  Because  of  this  upward 
curve  of  a  bullet  there  is,  therefore,  in  some  portion 
of  its  flight  a  time  when  it  is  outside  the  range  of  the 
sights.  With  the  mid-range  height  of  the  trajectory 
known,  namely,  the  height  which  a  bullet  flies  above 
the  straight  Une  between  the  muzzle  of  the  rifle  and 
the  point  where  it  strikes  the  target,  the  distance 
which  a  rifle  will  shoot  without  allowing  for  the  rise 

10 


The  Point  Blank  of  a  Bullet 

of  the  bullet  can  be  ascertained.  This  kilUng  zone  of 
the  bullet  is  called  "the  natural  point  blank"  of  the 
rifle,  or  the  natural  Une  of  sight.  When  black  powder 
is  used  this  natural  point  blank  is  much  less  than  is 
commonly  supposed.  With  many  rifles  it  is  not  over 
fifty  yards,  and  probably  does  not  exceed  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty  yards  with  any  rifle.  Every  one,  there- 
fore, when  using  black  powder  should  find  out  just 
what  the  natural  point  blank  range  of  his  rifle  is.  In 
addition  to  this  natural  point  blank  there  is,  of  course, 
another  kilhng  zone  where  the  bullet  in  falling  is 
again  on  the  level  of  the  line  of  sights.  This  is  called 
the  "artificial  point  blank,"  and  varies  according  to 
the  distance  which  the  rifle  sends  the  bullet.  It  is, 
therefore,  when  the  distance  is  between  these  two 
point  blanks  that  one  has  to  estimate  how  much  to 
raise  his  gun,  and  it  is  in  this  range  where  so  many 
misses  come  either  by  undershooting  or  by  over- 
shooting in  attempting  to  avoid  undershooting. 

If  the  speed  of  the  bullet  can  be  increased,  or  the 
bullet,  by  its  shape,  can  be  made  to  retain  its  speed 
for  a  longer  distance,  the  greater,  of  course,  will  be 
the  distance  which  it  will  go  before  it  begins  to  curve 
enough  to  overshoot.  As  increased  velocity  can  be 
given  a  bullet  by  using  smokeless  powder,  because  it 
has  a  tremendous  initial  velocity,  cartridges  are  now 
made  so  that  the  power  is  concentrated  on  the  first 
hundred  and  fifty  yards,  which  is  the  practical  limit 
of  all  ordinary  shooting.  It  is  not,  therefore,  neces- 
sary when  shooting  with  smokeless  powder  within 
this  limit  to  consider  anything  but  the  natural  point 

11 


TJie  Sjjeed  of  a  Bullet 

blank,  or  the  line  of  sight  of  the  rifle,  as  the  speed 
of  the  bullet  is  so  great  that  it  rises  but  Uttle. 


Smokeless  Powdei' 

One  must  keep  in  mind  that  nitro  or  smokeless 
powder  and  black  powder  have  entirely  different 
qualities;  that  nitro  powder  is  a  chemical  compound, 
and  black  powder  a  mechanical  one;  that  black 
powder  will  stand  a  certain  amount  of  pressure  with 
safety,  but  that  the  slightest  compression  of  smokeless 
powder  is  liable  to  develop  so  much  force  that  it  ex- 
plodes. Be  careful,  therefore,  when  extracting  a  cart- 
ridge or  shell  which  has  smokeless  powder  in  it,  not 
to  compress  it  or  it  may  cause  an  accident. 

Remember,  too,  that  nitro  powders  are  subject 
to  changes  which  depend  upon  the  conditions  which 
surround  them,  and  that  these  changes  affect  their  ex- 
plosive qualities  to  a  greater  or  less  extent;  that  if 
kept  in  a  dry  place  they  lose  too  much  moisture,  and 
if  kept  in  a  moist  place  they  gain  too  much,  and  in 
either  case  burn  so  slowly  that  they  are  apt  merely 
to  throw  the  bullet  or  shot  out  of  the  barrel.  There- 
fore, if  you  use  smokeless  powder  see  that  your  cart- 
ridges and  shells  are  newly  made. 

Remember  that  with  the  best  smokeless  powder 
a  bullet  has  a  muzzle  velocity  of  2,200  feet  a  second, 
a  muzzle  energy  of  2,685  pounds,  an  energy  of  1,500 
pounds  at  two  hundred  yards,  and  a  trajectory  of 
less  than  five  inches  for  this  distance.  It  is  this  tre- 
mendous velocity  which  gives  to  soft  nose  or  mush- 

12 


Cleaning  a  Gun 

room  bullets  their  great  smashing  force,  which  upon 
impact  with  the  softest  animal  tissue  flatten  out  into 
more  than  double  their  size.  It  is,  therefore,  be- 
cause of  the  punishing  power  which  smokeless  powder 
gives  to  small  bullets  that  large  cahbre  rifles  are  being 
discarded  for  smaller  and  hgliter  ones. 

The  Gun  and  a  Novice 

Remember  that  you  must  have  more  than  a  bow- 
ing acquaintance  with  your  gun,  and  that  taking 
good  care  of  it  is  as  important  as  taking  good  care  of 
your  horse.  Never  let  it  remain  foul  over  night. 
Swab  it  out  with  a  dry  rag,  then  give  it  a  good  rub- 
bing with  cotton  flannel  soaked  in  sperm  oil  or  a  good 
gun  oil,  and  finally  give  it  a  rubbing  with  dry  chamois. 
Use  raw  linseed  oil  on  the  stock,  and  never  use  any- 
thing but  porpoise  jaw  oil,  and  that  sparingly,  on 
the  locks.  Don't  meddle  with  the  locks  too  often. 
Too  much  oil  is  apt  to  gum  them.  If  you  get  caught 
in  the  rain  or  snow,  and  your  gun  gets  wet  run  a  rag 
down  the  barrel  as  soon  as  you  get  back  to  camp,  as 
the  inside  of  the  barrel  is  liable  to  get  rusted  if  it 
is  allowed  to  dry  when  wet.  The  lazy  man's  way  is 
to  fire  a  charge  through  the  barrel,  and  in  this  way 
take  out  the  dampness.  After  cleaning  your  rifle, 
slide  the  breech-block  back,  and  put  a  strip  of  white 
writing  paper  in  the  opening  so  that  the  light  will 
reflect  down  the  barrel,  or  use  a  mirror  which  is  made 
for  the  purpose.  In  this  way  you  can  see  if  the  barrel 
is  clean. 

13 


1 


The  Cleaning  Rod 

Wet  powder  dirt  can  generally  be  taken  out  with 
a  dry  rag,  and  dry  powder  dirt  will  generally  yield 
if  you  breathe  into  the  barrel.  Don't  believe  the  man 
who  says  never  pour  water  into  a  gun.  There  is  abso- 
lutely nothing  which  takes  hold  of  powder  dirt  like 
it.  If  the  gun  is  well  v/iped  with  a  rough  cloth  after- 
ward, there  will  be  no  danger  of  its  rusting. 

Clean  your  gun  with  a  hickory  rod  having  a  notch 
in  the  end  of  it  so  that  a  heavy  wad  of  cloth  can  be 
used  without  jamming,  but  never  have  this  wad  so 
tight  that  the  rod  has  to  be  driven  against  something 
solid  to  force  it  through,  as  this  affects  the  choke  of 
the  barrel. 

Never  use  buckshot  in  a  choked  barrel,  as  the  shot 
are  so  large  that  they  are  apt  to  flatten  in  getting 
through  the  choke  of  the  barrel,  which  makes  them 
scale  when  going  through  the  air.  There  is  also  a 
liabiUty  of  the  shot  jamming  and  the  gun  exploding. 


A  Reminder  of  Wood  Life 

14 


CHAPTER    II 


THE   MAN    BEHIND   THE    GUN 


The  ordinary  way  to  fire  a  gun  is  to  bring  it  against 
the  shoulder,  but  a  quicker  way  is  to  bring  it  into 
the  crook  of  the  arm,  having  the  elbow  nearly  on  a 
level  with  the  shoulder.  By 
keeping  the  other  elbow  also 
well  up  the  gun  is  balanced 
with  the  body,  and  there  is 
not  the  same  liability  of  its 
swaying  as  when  held  against 
the  shoulder.  In  firing  in  this 
way  you  will  have  to  learn  to 
hold  your  head  well  back  when 
you  take  aim,  otherwise  your 

Ready  for  Business  gyg  ^j^  j^g  ^.i^gg  ^q  ^^g  j^^jn- 

mer,  and  if  the  gun  kicks  there  is  the  Hability  of  an 
accident. 

When  firing  with  a  rifle  you  should  stand  with  the 
weight  of  the  body  equally  on  both  feet,  but  when 
firing  at  birds  on  the  wing  with  a  shot-gun  you  should 
stand  well  forward  with  the  weight  of  the  body  on 
the  left  foot,  so  as  to  be  able  to  pivot  easily  and  also 
to  take  up  the  recoil  with  the  right  leg. 

15 


Gun  Shyness 

Every  novice  is  at  first  gun  shy,  and  either  holds 
the  butt  of  the  gun  loosely  against  his  shoulder,  or 
closes  both  eyes  when  he  fires.  Another  trick  of  the 
novice  is  to  let  the  muzzle  drop  as  he  pulls  the  trigger, 
or  to  pull  the  trigger  with  a  jerk  which  swings  the 
barrel  to  the  right.  This  flinching  you  can  prevent 
by  pulling  the  trigger  with  a  slow,  steady  movement 
so  that  you  will  not  be  able  to  tell  when  the  hammer 
is  coming  down.  If  you  are  using  a  rifle  do  this  by 
gradually  tightening  up  the  hand,  and  although  the 
hand  itself  will  not  move,  being  on  the  trigger  guard, 
the  forefinger  will  draw  up  enough  on  the  trigger  to 
pull  it.  If  you  are  using  a  shot-gun  rest  the  tip  end 
of  your  forefinger  loosely  but  firmly  on  the  trigger  so 
that  the  finger  can  slip  quickly  from  one  trigger  to 
the  other. 

When  taking  aim  hold  the  gun  with  the  left  hand 
well  down  the  barrel  so  that  the  gun  will  have  a  better 
balance.  By  doing  this  the  gun  can  also  be  brought 
more  easily  on  the  mark. 

Never  hold  your  head  so  that  your  nose  is  against 
your  thumb.  If  the  gun  recoils  you  will  remember  it 
and  will  probably  flinch  the  next  time  you  fire. 

Never  hold  the  gun  against  the  muscles  of  your 
arm. 

Remember  that  the  farther  your  eye  is  from  the 
back  sight  the  less  will  you  be  troubled  with  any 
reflection  of  light  from  its  edges,  and  the  clearer, 
therefore,  will  be  its  outUne. 

If  you  jerk  your  gun  up  to  your  shoulder  the 
temptation  to  fire  when  the  front  sight  first  glimmers 

16 


Firing  with  Eyes  Open 

on  the  mark  is  almost  irresistible,  and  you  will  fire 
with  too  quick  or  too  vague  a  sight.  If,  however, 
you  will  raise  your  gun  deliberately  and  look  for  the 
sights  as  the  gun  comes  up,  it  will  require  no  read- 
justment or  shifting  of  the  gun  afterward. 


Learning  to  Aim 

Learn  to  shoot  with  both  eyes  open.  By  using 
both  eyes  you  will  see  better  than  with  one  eye  closed 
and  will  shoot  quicker,  as  the  left  eye  has  only  to  see 
the  quarry,  and  the  right  eye  to  bring  the  sights  on 
to  the  quarry.  As  each  eye  is  acting  independently 
there  is  also  a  sharper  picture  on  the  retina,  the  same 
as  when  looking  through  a  stereopticon.  Using  both 
eyes,  however,  is  not  the  easiest  thing  to  do  if  you 
have  been  accustomed  to  close  one  eye.  At  first  you 
will  see  two  targets,  two  forwarfl  sights  and  probably 
the  side  of  the  gun-barrel.  This  is  because  the  mind 
is  concentrated  upon  the  sights,  and  the  left  eye  in- 
stead of  being  focussed  on  the  target  glances  across 
to  the  gun-barrel.  Until  you  can  overcome  this  in- 
stinctive habit  close  the  left  eye  and  after  sighting 
with  the  right  eye  open  the  left  eye,  doing  this  until 
the  left  eye  is  able  to  focus  itself  on  the  game.  After 
you  can  do  this  bring  the  gun  to  the  shoulder,  take 
aim  at  some  object  with  both  eyes  open,  and  then, 
closing  the  left  eye,  see  with  the  right  eye  whether 
the  barrel  is  pointing  true. 

In  taking  aim  nothing  should  be  seen  but  the  two 
sights  and  the  object  aimed  at,  the  forward  sight  ap- 

17 


Firing  Without  the  Sights 

parently  being  at  the  breech  of  the  barrel.  If  you 
see  the  barrel  of  your  rifle  or  the  rib  of  your  shot-gun 
you  will  overshoot  your  game. 

Remember  that  the  most  common  error  in  aiming 
at  any  object  is  catching  too  much  of  the  front  sight 
and  overshooting. 

Learn  to  take  aim  as  you  raise  the  gun  to  your 
shoulder.  This  will  bring  the  sights  more  quickly  on 
the  quarry  than  if  you  raise  the  gun  above  the  game 
and  then  have  to  lower  it  across  the  line  of  "\dsion. 

When  you  have  learned  to  bring  the  sights  on  the 
mark  quickly,  learn  to  aim  without  using  the  sights. 
This  can  be  done  if  you  wUl  practise  it  long  enough 
to  make  the  precision  in  bringing  up  the  gun  auto- 
matic. The  test  of  this  kind  of  shooting  is  in  being 
able  to  take  good  aim  with  both  eyes  closer!,  or  in 
other  words  to  do  it  instinctively,  as  you  will  have 
to  if  you  expect  to  be  a  crack  shot.  Shut  both  eyes 
and  try  it.  Throw  the  gun  up,  and  the  moment  you 
feel  the  butt  against  the  shoulder  open  your  eyes, 
and  see  where  it  is  pointing.  Keep  up  this  practice 
until  you  are  able  to  get  a  bead  on  any  object  whether 
it  is  above  you,  below  you,  or  on  the  same  line  with 
your  eye.  After  you  have  caught  the  knack  get  be- 
hind the  barn  and  try  it  with  your  gun  loaded.  Stand 
thirty  paces  away,  and  hold  the  gun  with  the  muzzle 
at  an  angle  of  45°  to  the  ground.  Fix  your  eyes  on 
the  target,  and  after  shutting  both  eyes  bring  the 
gun  to  your  shoulder  and  fire  with  both  eyes  closed. 
When  you  are  able  to  hit  the  target  you  have  mas- 
tered the  art  of  firing,  but  do  not  be  discouraged  if 

18 


Snap  Shooting 

you  use  up  tons  of  lead  before  you  accomplish  it.  It 
is  this  kind  of  abihty  which  makes  one  able  to  drop 
a  moose  when  it  is  too  dark  to  see  the  gun-barrel. 

Don't  wait  until  you  get  into  the  woods  to  do  your 
target  practising.  Before  you  leave  home,  get  out  on 
the  side  of  a  liill;  hit  it  a  few  times,  and  then  pace  off 
a  hundred  yards  range,  a  two  hundred  yards  range, 
and  a  three  hundred  yards  range.  Put  a  few  bullets 
into  the  hundred  yards  range,  then  into  the  two  hun- 
dred one,  and  then  into  the  three  hundred  one.  This 
will  give  you  a  practical  knowledge  of  distances. 
Now  get  near  one  of  the  targets  and  run  away  from  it. 
Pay  no  attention  to  the  distance,  but  when  you  have 
gone  somewhere  between  fifty  and  two  hundred 
yards,  swing  round  and  fire  at  the  target,  doing  this 
standing,  kneeling,  sitting  and  lying  down.  Such 
practice  calls  for  quick  action  in  estimating  distances, 
a  thing  which  few  sportsmen  are  able  to  do  correctly, 
as  overestimating  distances  and  shooting  higher  than 
is  necessary  is  the  one  great  fault  in  deer  shooting. 
When  you  are  able  to  hit  the  target  with  this  kind  of 
practice  you  are  ready  to  pack  up  for  the  woods,  and 
you  will  stand  a  fair  chance  of  bringing  home  some 
game. 

Remember  that  there  are  two  ways  of  shooting 
birds  on  the  wing  or  game  on  the  run.  One  is  to 
bring  the  gun  up  to  the  shoulder,  and  at  the  same 
moment  pull  the  trigger;  this  is  known  as  snap  shoot- 
ing. The  other  way,  known  as  open  shooting,  is  to 
follow  the  bird  or  the  game  with  the  gun,  and  fire 
while  the  gun  is  moving. 

19 


Shooting  Ahead 

When  aiming  at  birds  on  the  wing  it  is  often  neces- 
sary to  shoot  ahead,  and  in  deciding  how  far  ahead 
to  shoot  you  must  have  some  idea  not  only  how  fast 
your  bird  is  flying,  but  also  how  far  the  bird  is  from 
you.  You  must  also  know  how  fast  your  shot  will 
travel,  which  depends  upon  the  quality  and  the  kind 
of  powder  used,  the  amount  of  powder,  and  the  kind 
of  shot  in  the  shell.  Remember  that  4|  drachms  of 
black  powder  behind  No.  8  shot  give  a  mean  velocity 
of  800  feet  a  second,  and  that  common  smokeless 
powder  gives  a  mean  velocity  of  1,200  feet  a  second. 
The  solution,  therefore,  of  the  question  is  a  mathe- 
matical one.  When  you  are  shooting,  however,  there 
is  only  time  for  a  glance  and  a  thought,  and  the  ques- 
tion of  distance  and  velocity  must  be  known  in- 
stinctively. This  instinctive  habit  one  can  only  get 
by  practising  on  birds  themselves.  One  can,  how- 
ever, get  a  certain  amount  of  proficiency  in  estimating 
distances  by  looking  at  different  objects,  and  after 
deciding  how  far  away  they  are,  pacing  the  distance; 
and  an  intuitive  knowledge  of  the  speed  of  birds  by 
shooting  at  clay  pigeons. 

Suggestions  About  Wing  Shooting 

In  shooting  at  clay  pigeons  go  at  it  in  a  business 
way.  Know  definitely  how  far  the  trap  is  from  the 
stand,  and  at  what  velocity  it  is  set.  When  you  fire 
keep  in  mind  how  you  have  aimed,  and  if  you  bring 
down  your  bird  pace  off  the  distance.  With  this  sort 
of  practice  you  will  soon  be  a  fair,  if  not  a  crack  shot 
at  the  real  thing. 

20 


Swinging  the  Gun 

If  you  have  a  friend  who  will  practise  wing  shoot- 
ing with  you,  go  with  him  to  some  field,  and  while  one 
of  you  from  behind  a  boulder  throws  small  paper  bags 
filled  with  flour  and  weighted  with  stones  into  the 
air,  the  other  should  try  to  hit  them  before  they  fall, 
picking  the  gun  up  from  the  ground  after  a  bag  is 
thrown  into  the  air. 

Remember  when  you  swing  your  gun  on  to  mov- 
ing game,  and  then  fire,  that  you  fire  ahead  without 
suspecting  it,  for  while  the  brain  is  giving  the  order 
to  pull  the  trigger,  although  the  time  is  imperceptible 
to  the  senses,  the  muzzle  of  the  gun  is  still  moving 
forward. 

Bear  in  mind  that  a  bird  which  flies  5  miles  an 
hour  flies  7.3  feet  a  second;  that  one  which  flies  ten 
miles  an  hour  flies  14.6  feet  a  second;  that  at  12 
miles  an  hour  it  flies  17.5  feet  a  second;  at  40  miles 
an  hour  it  flies  58.4  feet  a  second;  at  60  miles  an  hour 
it  flies  87.6  feet  a  second;  at  90  miles  an  hour  it  flies 
131.4  feet  a  second;  at  100  miles  an  hour  it  flies  146 
feet  a  second,  and  at  120  miles  an  hour  it  flies  175.2 
feet  a  second.  Remember,  too,  that  mallard  and 
black  ducks  fly  from  40  to  50  miles  an  hour;  pintail 
and  wood  ducks  from  50  to  60  miles  an  hour ;  widgeon 
and  gadwall  ducks  from  60  to  70  miles;  canvas-back 
ducks  from  80  to  120  miles;  wild  geese  from  80  to  90 
miles;   and  hawks  from  40  to  150  miles. 

Things  Not  To  Do  With  Your  Gun 

Never  stand  your  gun  on  the  butt  unless  there  is 
something  on  the  side  of  it  as  well  as  behind  it  for  it 

21 


Carrying  a  Chin 

to  lean  against.  Never,  therefore,  lean  your  gun 
against  a  tree  unless  it  can  also  lean  against  a  branch 
of  the  tree  so  that  it  cannot  fall  over. 

Never  get  over  a  stone  wall  and  then  pull  your 
gun  over  after  you.  Put  your  gun  over  first,  and 
don't  have  the  muzzle  pointed  toward  you  when  you 
get  over. 

If  you  are  at  a  shooting  range,  break  your  shot- 
gun while  the  others  are  shooting,  and  only  close  it 
when  your  turn  comes.  Break  it  also  when  you  go 
into  the  club  house  for  limcheon. 

Never  carry  your  gun  with  the  hammer  on  the 
firing  pin.  If  you  stumble  the  gun  is  apt  to  go  ofi", 
not  because  the  hammer  gets  pulled  back,  but  be- 
cause it  strikes  against  something  hard  enough  to 
make  the  concussion  explode  the  primer.  If  you 
carry  it  at  half-cock  this  can  never  happen. 

Never  carry  your  gun  with  the  hammer  at  full- 
cock,  not  even  if  you  are  sure  that  game  is  ahead  of 
you.  Until  you  are  ready  to  sight  your  gun  on  the 
game  hold  your  thumb  on  the  top  of  the  hammer, 
and  your  forefinger  on  the  trigger,  only  cocking  it  as 
you  bring  it  to  the  shoulder.  With  a  little  prac- 
tice you  will  be  able  to  do  this  long  before  the  gun 
gets  to  the  shoulder,  and  if  you  get  into  the  habit  of 
only  cocking  it  as  you  bring  it  up  there  will  be  little 
liabihty  of  an  accident. 

The  most  dangerous  way  of  carrying  a  gun  is  over 
the  shoulder  by  the  barrel.  If  you  stumble,  the 
leverage  on  the  gun  is  apt  to  swing  it  over  so  that  the 
muzzle  will  be  pointed  toward  you,  and  if  the  ham- 

22 


The  Gun  in  a  Canoe 

mer  strikes  a  stone  and  the  gun  goes  off  you  will  get 
the  charge.  Last  year  a  guide  shot  himself  through 
the  lungs  in  this  way.  It  sometimes  happens,  too, 
when  carrying  a  gun  on  one's  shoulder  by  the  barrel, 
that  the  liammer  catches  on  a  branch  of  a  tree,  which 


Steady 


pulls  the  hammer  back,  and  if  the  gun  is  discharged 
and  some  one  is  ahead  of  you  there  is  the  possibility 
of  an  accident. 

Never  put  your  gun  in  the  bottom  of  a  canoe. 
If  anything  strikes  the  hammer  the  gun  may  go  off 
and  be  in  just  the  position  to  take  off  a  leg.  If  you 
have  the  bow  paddle  lean  your  gun  against  the  cross- 
bar in  front  of  you  with  the  muzzle  forward,  and  if 
you  have  the  stern  paddle  rest  it  against  the  crossbar 
behind  you  and  pointed  backward.  If  you  are  in 
the  centre  of  the  canoe  lean  it  against  the  cross-bar 

23 


Going  Through  a  Thicket 

in  front  of  you  and  the  thwart  and  pointed  over  the 
side. 

In  pushing  through  a  thicket  don't  carry  your 
gun  at  your  side,  as  the  trigger  is  apt  to  get  caught 
on  a  branch.  Put  your  left  hand  over  the  trigger 
guard,  your  right  hand  on  the  barrel,  and  push  your 
way  through  with  the  gun  in  front  of  you. 


24 


CHAPTER    III 


THE   WANGAN 


Everything  you  take  with  you  into  the  woods, 
except  your  guns  and  the  canoes,  is  known  as  the 
wangan.  It  includes  your  clothing,  all  articles  for  per- 
sonal comfort  which  you 
take  along,  the  cooking  kit 
and  the  provisions.  This 
outfit  should  be  neither 
expensive  nor  bulky.  The 
first  thing  to  do  is  to  get 
from  a  sailmaker  a  water- 
proof canvas  bag,  a  little 
larger  than  a  meal  bag,  to 
carry  your  personal  lug- 
gage in.  This  bag  should 
be  round  on  the  bottom, 
with  a  strap  sewed  across  it  for  a  handle.  The  top 
of  the  bag  should  have  in  it  grommets  six  inches  apart 
to  run  a  short  iron  rod  through  when  the  bag  is  closed. 
This  rod  should  really  be  two  rods  linked  together, 
one  long  enough  to  go  through  the  grommets,  and 
the  other  rounded  so  that  it  will  make  a  handle  after 
being  padlocked  through  the  shorter  one.     Such  a 

25 


The  Wangan  Bag 


Necessary  Things 

bag,  which  is  similar  to  a  duffel  bag,  you  will  find  easy 
to  pack  over  a  carry  and  convenient  to  stow  away  in 
a  canoe.  If  you  do  not  care  to  get  such  a  bag  get  a 
waterproof  navy  bag. 


The  Clothing  to  Have 

Do  not  take  too  many  things.  The  more  simply 
you  dress  the  better.  Four  pairs  of  woollen  socks, 
two  gray  flannel  shirts,  two  sets  of  woollen  underwear, 
a  suit  of  woollen  pajamas,  an  extra  pair  of  trousers, 
a  woollen  sweater  that  buttons  up  Uke  a  cardigan 
jacket  and  has  pockets  in  it,  and  your  coat  and  waist- 
coat are  all  the  clothing  needed.  This  will  give  you 
dry  clothes  to  put  on  when  you  get  wet,  and  having  a 
dupUcate  set  there  will  always  be  an  opportunity  to 
do  the  necessary  washing.  The  best  sort  of  a  hat  to 
wear  is  an  old  soft  felt  one,  either  gray  or  black,  -with  a 
moderate  brim  which  will  shed  the  rain.  If  you  get 
one  a  size  too  small  and  rip  the  lining  out  you  will 
find  that  the  felt  will  cling  to  your  hair  enough  to 
prevent  the  hat  being  brushed  off  by  branches  when 
going  through  a  thicket.  If  you  go  into  the  woods 
after  cold  weather  has  come  you  will  need  two  more 
pairs  of  woollen  socks,  another  sweater  large  enough 
to  go  over  the  first  one,  and  a  cap  with  ear  flaps  in- 
stead of  the  felt  one. 

Your  sweater  will  be  one  of  the  most  important 
articles  you  will  take,  as  it  is  cool  in  warm  weather, 
and  warm  in  cool  weather.  Do  not,  however,  take 
a  red  one  with  the  idea  that  this  color  will  prevent 

26 


Things  Not  Needed 

anybody  shooting  you,  as  a  person  is  not  shot  after 
he  is  seen,  but  because  in  going  stealtliily  through 
some  thick  growth  he  moves  the  branches,  or  makes 
enough  noise  to  ifiake  some  other  hunter  think  that 
game  is  there.  The  disadvantage  of  a  red  sweater  is 
that  red  is  a  color  unknown  in  the  woods,  and  at  once 
attracts  the  notice  of  game.  Backwoodsmen,  who 
used  to  wear  red  leggings,  found  this  out  when  hunt- 
ing deer.  On  the  other  hand,  do  not  take  a  white 
sweater  imless  it  is  in  the  winter  time  or  wear  a  white 
handkerchief  around  your  neck,  as  some  sportsman 
may  mistake  it  for  the  white  flag  of  a  deer,  if  seen 
through  an  opening  in  the  trees.  A  deep  gr^y,  black, 
or  dark  blue  sweater  is  the  best  color  to  have,  as  it 
neither  attracts  the  attention  of  game  nor  makes  you 
a  target  for  any  one  else.  For  clothes  a  black  and 
white  mixture  gives  the  best  color. 


The  Other  Things 

It  is  always  perplexing  to  decide  upon  the  other 
necessary  things,  and  one's  most  valuable  knowledge 
of  woods'  craft  is  knowing  what  can  be  dispensed 
with.  The  things  which  come  mider  the  head  of  ne- 
cessities depend  wholly  upon  a  man's  temperament, 
and  those  things  which  one  man  thinks  essential  to 
his  comfort  would  be  the  first  ones  which  another 
man  would  take  off  the  hst.  If  you  play  the  game 
fairly  you  will  depend  but  Uttle  upon  the  ready-made 
of  civilization,  and  will  have  enough  courage  to  trust 
to  the  wit  made  of  the  forests.    Just  what  to  take 

27 


The  Luxuries 

you  will  only  know  after  you  have  camped  out  several 
seasons.  Each  year  your  list  will  be  smaller,  and 
each  year  you  will  take  more  chances  that  you  will 
not  need  many  of  the  things  which  you  once  thought 
you  could  not  get  along  without.  For  this  reason 
a  man  will  never  accept  advice  about  his  kit  or  admit 
that  another  man's  kit  is  better  than  the  one  he  has 
packed  for  himself. 

Take  four  handkerchiefs  extra  large  and  blue  in 
color,  so  that  they  can  be  worn  as  neck  scarfs,  or  used 
for  sUngs,  game  decoys  and  even  pack  sacks.  Take 
a  pair  of  moccasins  and  a  mecUum  weight  gray  army 
blanket,"  some  thread,  needles,  buttons,  a  pair  of 
scissors,  a  pocket  comb  in  a  case,  a  tooth  brush,  two 
towels,  a  small  rubber  pillow,  a  folding  mirror,  a  note 
book,  with  a  place  for  a  pencil  in  the  back,  two  pipes 
and  plenty  of  tobacco.  Depend  upon  the  sun  for 
the  time  of  day,  and  leave  your  watch  at  home. 
Never  take  postage  stamps,  envelopes,  ink  or  pens. 
Stamps  and  envelopes  get  gimimed  together,  and  the 
ink  is  sure  to  make  a  map  on  your  clothing.  Take 
postal  cards  and  lead  pencils  instead.  Don't  forget 
to  take  toilet  paper,  a  compass,  and  a  waterproof 
match  safe.  Never  use  this  match  safe  if  you  can 
get  matches  anjrwhere  else.  Keep  it  on  tap  for  an 
emergency,  and  make  it  a  rule  never  to  leave  camp 
without  it. 

Don't  forget  a  hunting  knife.  This  you  should 
always  carry.  You  don't  know  when  you  may  be 
caught  out  over  night,  and  with  a  knife  and  matches 
you  can  always  make  yourself  comfortable.    If  you 

28 


Field  Glasses 

should  happen  to  drop  a  deer  deep  in  the  woods  late 
in  the  afternoon  you  may  need  the  knife  to  spot  your 
way  back  to  a  tote  road,  or  to  some  stream  or  pond, 
for  you  will  find,  if  you  do  not  spot  out  a  trail,  that 
it  will  not  always  be  easy  to  find  the  street  and  num- 
ber when  you  go  back  for  the  deer.  Don't  forget  oil 
for  your  gun,  a  short-handle  axe,  a  whetstone  to 
sharpen  your  knife  and  axe  on,  and  some  soft  solder  to 
mend  any  leaks  in  your  cooking  outfit.  Take  also  a 
ball  of  marUne  twine,  a  small  saw  with  the  teeth  set 
for  green  wood,  and  a  few  nails.  Twine  is  always  a 
necessary  thing  in  camp.  The  saw  you  will  often 
want  to  saw  a  stick  off  square  with,  and  when  you 
need  a  nail  nothing  else  will  take  its  place.  Take 
also  a  canvas  knapsack,  as  it  is  a  handy  thing  to 
have  in  making  carries,  and  a  convenient  thing  to 
carry  a  cooking  kit  in  when  you  are  going  to  be  away 
from  camp  for  the  night,  as  it  leaves  your  hands  free. 
A  pair  of  light-weight  field  glasses  and  a  magnifying 
glass  you  should  also  have.  The  field  glasses  will  help 
you  sight  game,  and  the  magnifying  glass  will  get  you 
in  closer  touch  with  nature  wliile  you  are  waiting  on 
some  feeding  ground.  If  you  are  a  true  lover  of  the 
woods  and  have  taken  these  along  you  will,  before 
you  know  it,  be  a  sportsman-naturalist.  As  most 
men  get  rattled  if  there  is  an  accident  in  camp,  have 
as  a  part  of  your  wangan  a  small  accident  case.  Take 
also  a  medicine  case  especially  prepared  for  camp  life. 
With  these  there  are  always  printed  instructions  what 
to  do. 

If,  however,  when  you  push  your  paddle  against 
29 


Tents 

the  shore  you  are  leaving  civilization  for  an  exploring 
trip  through  the  wilderness — to  be  a  voyageur,  as  the 
French  Canadians  call  it — leave  all  these  extra  things 
behind  except  the  moccasins,  blanket,  compass,  wa- 
terproof match  safe,  axe,  hunting  knife,  whetstone, 
comb,  handkerchiefs,  tooth  brush,  towels;  and  instead 
of  the  medicine  case  take  some  surgeon's  plaster,  qui- 
nine pills  and  Turkish  rhubarb  for  a  laxative. 

You  will  want  two  tents — one  for  yourself  and 
your  companion  and  the  other  for  your  two  guides 
and  the  provisions.  If,  however,  you  have  the  right 
sort  of  guides  they  will  have  their  own  tent.  Water- 
proof tents,  10  by  10,  with  four-feet  walls,  are  the 
most  practical.  As  a  good  tent  is  a  luxury  and  a 
poor  tent  an  abomination,  get  them  of  khaki  duck. 
They  are  more  restful  and  less  glaring  to  the  eye  than 
white  tents,  are  cooler  to  sleep  in,  do  not  soil  so  easily, 
and  flies  and  mosquitoes  do  not  come  inside  of  them 
as  they  do  in  the  white  tents.  In  order  to  get  a  cir- 
culation of  air  have  in  the  back  of  the  tent  a  good- 
sized  opening  covered  with  a  flap  which  can  be  tied 
down  when  it  rains.  Have  also  pockets  sewed  along 
the  side  walls  to  put  small  articles  in.  If  you  do  the 
thing  right  you  will  have  a  double  fly  for  your  own 
tent.  This  will  keep  the  rain  off  the  roof  canvas, 
and,  as  it  extends  for  the  same  distance  in  front  of  the 
tent,  it  not  only  makes  a  good  lounging  place,  but  an 
ideal  place  for  the  dining  table.  Never  take  tent 
poles  or  tent  pins,  which  in  a  wooded  country  only 
mean  a  cHp  of  the  axe  to  obtain.  If  you  take  a  floor 
cloth  to  keep  out  the  dampness,  an  oil  cloth  for  your 

30 


A  Camp  Stove 

dining  table,  and  some  mosquito  netting,  even  the 
animals  will  look  with  envy  at  the  luxurious  way  in 
which  you  Uve. 

A  camp  stove  is  also  a  thing  not  to  be  laughed  at, 
as  it  will  heat  your  tent  in  cold  weather  and  in  pleas- 


Ready  for  the  Wilds 


ant  weather  will  keep  things  which  have  just  been 
cooked  warm  until  they  are  ready  to  be  served. 
Then,  too,  as  it  is  no  fun  cooking  in  the  rain,  you  can 
cook  with  it  in  the  tent  in  rainy  weather.  You  will 
also  need  a  rubber  blanket  to  put  over  your  luggage 
when  you  get  caught  in  the  rain  and  to  spread  over 
your  bough  bed  when  you  make  a  temporary  camp 

31 


Cooking  Utensils 

for  the  night.  If  you  get  one  cut  in  the  middle  you 
can  also  use  it  as  a  coat  when  you  are  out  in  rainy 
weather.  A  rubber  air  cushion  to  put  on  your  shoul- 
ders when  toting  a  canoe  is  another  useful  thing  to 
have.  It  can  also  be  used  to  sit  or  kneel  on  when 
you  have  a  long  paddle  before  you.  If,  however, 
you  are  to  be  a  voyageur,  take  instead  of  the  khaki 
tent  a  7  by  7  lean-to  tent  made  of  balloon  silk  and 
leave  all  these  things  behind  except  the  rubber 
blanket. 


The  Cooking  Outfit 

The  best  cooking  kits  are  those  especially  made 
for  camping,  as  the  dishes  nest  into  each  other  and 
take  up  little  space.  If  you  do  not  take  one  of  these 
kits  take  a  two-quart  coffee-pot  riveted  where  the 
joints  are  soldered,  a  three-pint  teapot  with  the  nose 
blocked  out  of  the  side  and  a  strainer  in  it,  three 
frying-pans  with  hinged  handles  so  that  they  will 
stow  away  easily,  the  handles  being  made  hollow  or 
having  rings  in  them  to  run  a  stick  into  so  that  there 
will  be  no  necessity  for  the  cook  getting  cooked.  Take 
also  covers  for  the  frying-pans  and  a  folding  baker 
with  two  baking-pans,  this  when  folded  up  being  only 
an  inch  thick,  ten  inches  wide  and  sixteen  inches 
long;  six  knives,  six  forks,  and  six  spoons,  a  mixing 
spoon,  a  cook's  fork,  a  griddle  fork,  eight  tin  plates, 
eight  tin  cups,  a  wire  broiler,  three  four-quart  tin 
boiling  pails  with  covers,  a  ten-quart  zinc  pail  for  a 
water-pail  and  eight  small  tin  pans  which  will  fit  in- 

32 


Stamped  Tinware 

side  each  other  and  hold  about  a  pint  each.  Some 
sportsmen  also  take  a  cooking  range,  or  four  flat 
pieces  of  steel  two  feet  long  to  do  their  cooking  on. 
Have  all  your  tin-ware  stamped  out  of  extra 
heavy  block  tin,  as  camp  fires  play  havoc  with  solder. 
Don't  let  any  one  persuade  you  to  take  aluminum 


The  Cooking  Kit 

dishes,  as  they  get  too  hot,  hold  the  heat  too  long,  and 
are  easily  bent  out  of  shape. 

Don't  think  it  prudish  to  have  silver-plated  knives 
and  forks.  They  cost  but  a  trifle  more,  and  steel 
knives  and  forks  are  sure  to  get  rusted  the  best  you 
can  do. 

If  you  are  to  be  a  voyageur  only  take  two  tin 
pails,  one  frying-pan,  four  cups,  four  knives,  four 
forks  and  four  spoons. 

33 


Provisions  to  Carry 

When  Lord  Lytton  wrote,  "Civilized  man  cannot 
live  without  cooks,"  he  did  not  have  in  mind  living 
in  the  woods  where  the  simplest  fare  has  a  relish 
which  no  chef  can  improve.  Even  in  the  woods  one 
wants  a  variety  of  food,  and  no  one  but  a  tenderfoot 
any  longer  thinks  that  being  comfortable  is  being 
effeminate  or  that  roughing  it  means  putting  up  with 
hardships.  Don't,  therefore,  be  a  martyr  and  suffer 
discomforts  if  they  can  be  avoided  because  some  one 
may  think  you  have  no  sand.  As  you  will  get  by 
shooting  and  fishing  the  larger  part  of  what  you  eat, 
enough  groceries  for  two  men  and  two  guides  for  a 
month  will  be : 


75  lbs.  of  self-raising  flour, 
20  lbs.  of  self-raising  graham 
meal, 

6  lbs.  of  Indian  meal, 

6  lbs.  of  oatmeal, 

4  lbs.  of  pea  meal, 

6  lbs.  of  cracked  wheat, 

5  lbs.  self-raising  buckwheat, 

2  lbs.  of  baking  powder, 
10  lbs.  of  granulated  sugar, 
10  lbs.  of  brown  sugar, 

3  lbs.  of  rice, 

8  three-pound    cans   of   pre- 
served butter, 
2  one-pound  cans  of  tea, 

6  one-pound  cans  of  ground 

coffee, 
5  lbs.  of  hardtack, 

2  lbs.  of  cocoa  shells, 

3  lbs.  of  seedless  raisins, 

4  qts.  of  dried  peas, 
8  qts.  of  beans, 

4  lbs.  of  evaporated  apricots, 

5  lbs.  of  dried  apples, 
4  lbs.  of  prunes, 

3  lbs.  of  ivory  soap, 

1  lb.  of  spermaceti  candles, 

3  lbs.  of  salt, 

1  package  of  black  pepper, 


1  can  of  ginger, 

1  ounce  of  nutmeg, 

3  strips  of  bacon  (about  fif- 

teen pound-s), 

2  lbs.  of  macaroni, 

4  one-pound  boxes  of  bone- 

less codfish, 
4  one-quart  jars  of  mustard 

pickles, 
4  one-quart  bottles  of  olives, 
1  bottle  of  celery   flavoring, 

1  bottle  of  curry  powder, 

2  five-pound  jars  of  cheese, 

2  doz.    cans    of    evaporated 

cream, 
1  doz.     cans    of    condensed 

milk, 
6  cans  of  pears, 
6  cans  of  succotash, 
6  cans  of  baked  beans, 
6  boxes  of  sardines, 
1  ten-pound  box  of  smoked 

halibut, 
1  gal.  of  molasses, 
1  quarter-gross    box    of 

matches  in  a  tin  box, 

3  five-pound  pails  of  lard, 

1  twenty-pound   sugar-cured 
ham. 


34 


Cost  of  Provisions 

See  that  your  grocer  puts  the  provisions  which 
are  not  in  cans  in  canvas  seed  bags,  tied  with  mar- 
line, and  that  he  marks  each  bag  with  a  blue  pencil. 
These  bags  you  can  get  at  any  seed  store.  See  also 
that  he  gives  you  prepared  flour,  prepared  graham 
meal  and  prepared  buckwheat,  so  that  it  will  only  be 
necessary  to  use  water  when  cooking  them.  Many 
guides,  however,  prefer  not  to  have  self-raising  flour 
and  meal,  as  they  will  not  rise  if  they  have  been  long 
put  up.  If  you  do  not  take  the  prepared  flour  and 
meal  take  an  extra  pound  of  baking  powder.  If  you 
take  with  you  beans  for  baked  beans  have  your  grocer 
give  you  new  beans,  as  they  bake  more  thoroughly 
and  have  a  better  flavor  than  old  beans.  See  also 
that  he  gives  you  the  old-fashioned  sulphur  matches, 
as  they  are  the  cheapest  to  buy,  make  no  noise  when 
you  Ught  them,  and  pack  away  better  than  the  others. 

At  the  place  where  you  leave  the  train  get  two 
bushels  of  potatoes,  fifteen  pounds  of  salt  pork,  half 
a  bushel  of  onions,  a  fifteen-dozen  case  of  eggs,  three 
lanterns  for  candles,  as  you  will  want  a  lantern  for 
each  tent  and  one  for  general  use,  and  when  eating 
time  comes  after  dark  you  will  want  all  three  on  the 
table.  Get  also  a  wooden  cracker  box,  and  have 
some  holes  bored  through  the  sides  to  put  rope  han- 
dles in.  This  box  will  just  fit  between  the  thwarts 
of  your  canoe,  and  you  \^dll  find  it  a  convenient  thing 
to  have  in  camp  for  a  larder,  and  to  stow  things  in 
when  you  change  camp. 

These  provisions  at  wholesale  prices  should  not 
cost  over  fifty  dollars.     By  leaving  out  the  butter, 

35 


Weight  of  Packages 

eggs  and  other  luxuries  this  can  be  cut  down  one- 
half. 

If  you  are  to  be  a  voyageur  only  take  twenty- 
eight  pounds  of  flour,  twenty  pounds  of  salt  pork, 
one  pound  of  tea,  eight  pounds  of  beans,  ten  pounds 
of  sugar,  eight  pounds  of  rice,  four  pounds  of  prunes, 
four  pounds  of  raisins,  five  pounds  of  oatmeal,  and 
some  matches,  pepper,  salt,  and  soap,  which  will  weigh 
about  a  hundred  pounds. 

Packing  the  Wangan 

We  have  now  the  proper  outfit  for  two  men  and 
two  guides  for  a  month  in  the  woods,  and  in  packing 
up  do  not  make  the  different  packages  too  heavy. 
Sixty  pounds  is  all  any  one  can  carry,  and  it  is  better 
to  make  two  and  even  three  trips  than  to  get  tired  out 
by  carrying  too  much  at  once.  The  clothing  and 
the  things  brought  along  for  comfort  vnW  go  into  the 
two  wangan  bags  and  should  not  weigh  over  fifty 
pounds  each.  Have  the  flour  put  up  in  two  water- 
proof bags.  Put  the  graham  meal,  Indian  meal,  oat- 
meal, pea  meal,  cracked  wheat,  and  buckwheat  into 
another  waterproof  bag.  This  will  weigh  fifty-five 
pounds.  Put  the  sugar,  baking  powder,  rice,  tea, 
coffee,  cocoa,  nutmeg,  ginger,  pepper,  curry  powder, 
and  celery  flavoring  into  another  waterproof  bag. 
This  will  weigh  fifty  pounds.  Put  the  dried  peas  and 
beans,  macaroni,  salt,  hardtack,  raisins,  dried  apri- 
cots, apples,  and  prunes  into  a  meal  bag.  This  will 
weigh  fifty-six  pounds.  Put  the  butter,  cheese,  and 
bacon  into  another  meal  bag.    This  will  weigh  fifty- 

36 


The  Total  Luggage 

nine  pounds.  Put  the  soap,  candles,  pickles,  olives, 
codfish,  halibut,  sardines,  and  the  ham  into  another 
meal  bag.  This  will  weigh  fifty-seven  pounds.  Put 
the  salt  pork  and  the  canned  baked  beans  in  the  bag 
with  the  onions.  This  will  weigh  fifty-nine  pounds. 
Put  the  other  canned  goods  and  the  matches  in  the 
wooden    cracker    box.     This    will    weigh    fifty-eight 


Leaving  Civilization 

pounds.  The  potatoes,  which  will  weigh  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty  pounds,  put  into  two  meal  bags.  The 
cooking  kit  will  go  in  a  meal  bag  and  will  not  weigh 
over  twenty  pounds.  There  will  also  be  the  two 
tents,  which  when  strapped  together  with  the  blankets 
will  weigh  about  sixty  pounds.  The  total  luggage 
then  is  fifteen  sacks  weighing  six  hundred  and  fifty- 
five  pounds,  a  box  of  canned  goods  weighing  fifty- 
eight  pounds,  a  case  of  eggs  weighing  twenty-five 
pounds,  a  jug  of  molasses,  three  pails  of  lard,  three 

37 


Cutting  Down  Expenses 

lanterns,  the  guides'  luggage,  the  guns,  an  axe,  and 
two  canoes.  On  short  carries  this  means  three  trips 
and  on  long  carries  six  trips.  This,  however,  is 
taking  everything  which  a  man  can  ask  for,  and  if 
one  only  takes  half  this  amount  he  would  still  live 
comfortably. 


3S 


CHAPTER   IV 


CAMPS  AND   CAMP   FIRES 


So  much  for  the  preUminary  canter.  Let's  now 
take  it  for  granted  that  we  have  been  paddhng  all 
day  long  away  from  civiUzation,  and  are  looking  for 

a  place  for  our  first  night 
in  the  woods.  Strange  as 
it  may  seem,  only  a  few 
sportsmen  are  able  to  select 
a  good  camping  ground, 
some  doing  it  by  instinct, 
but  the  others,  in  nine  cases 
out  of  ten,  selecting  a  place 
which  has  some  "out" 
about  it. 

If  you  are  canoeing  there 
is  always  a  temptation  to 
make  camp  on  the  edge  of  the  water.  This  you 
should  never  do,  but  should  wait  until  you  come  to 
a  hard-wood  knoll,  as  low  ground  is  damp,  and  you 
will  generally  find  mosquitoes  there.  If  there  is  no 
high  land  close  to  the  shore  make  your  camp  on  some 
point  projecting  out  into  the  water,  where  the  currents 
of  air  keep  most  of  the  mosquitoes  away.     If  you  are 

39 


A  Temporary  Camp 


Place  to  Camp 

not  canoeing,  but  tramping,  make  your  camp  on  some 
hard-wood  ridge  near  running  water,  or  better  still, 
near  a  boiling  spring,  one  of  nature's  best  gifts  to 
man,  and  if  you  do  not  want  to  finish  the  day's  work 
doing  some  hard  lugging,  see  that  your  camp  is  near 
a  supply  of  maple,  beech  or  birch  for  firewood.  This 
is  more  important  than  being  near  a  good  supply  of 
water,  as  it  is  easier  to  bring  the  necessary  water 
than  to  tote  the  firewood. 

Make  your  camp  on  ground  sloping  to  the  south, 
if  you  can  find  the  right  sort  of  a  place,  so  that  when 
sleeping  your  feet  will  be  a  trifle  lower  than  your  head. 
This  also  gives  the  sun  a  chance  to  get  into  your  tent. 

Never  build  a  camp  in  dense  woods,  on  account 
of  falling  timber,  or  where  water  will  settle  if  it  rains, 
or  near  dead  wood  or  underbrush,  which  is  always  a 
breeding  place  for  mosquitoes  and  insects.  Keep  in 
the  open  where  the  breeze  will  drive  away  the  flies 
and  mosquitoes,  but  near  a  supply  of  firewood.  If 
you  find  a  shaded  place,  or  one  partly  so,  so  much 
the  better,  especially  if  it  is  along  the  side  of  a  brook 
or  a  pond,  as  few  sportsmen  feel  at  home  in  camp 
unless  there  is  water  to  look  at  from  the  tent. 

Never  pass  a  good  camping  ground  in  the  after- 
noon, if  you  are  not  sure  of  finding  another  good  one 
before  dark.  It  is  better  to  stop  at  three  o'clock, 
where  there  is  wood  and  water,  than  to  run  the  risk 
of  not  finding  the  right  sort  of  a  place  later. 

If  your  camp  is  only  for  the  night,  and  you  do 
not  intend  to  pitch  a  tent  or  make  a  brush  camp, 
spread  your  blanket  under  a  large  tree  where  the 

40 


5 

k5 


Wet  Wood 

branches  will  keep  off  the  dew  and  protect  you  from 
the  wind  and  rain.  See,  however,  that  you  have  not 
selected  a  place  near  a  standing  dead  tree,  as  the 
branches  may  come  tumbling  down  if  a  wind  springs 
up  in  the  night.  See  also  that  there  are  no  tree  roots 
where  you  are  to  he,  for  a  root  that  looks  no  larger 
than  a  mud  worm  in  the  daytime  grows  as  large  as 
your  arm  by  midnight  if  it  is  under  your  back. 

Building  a  Fire 

After  locating  your  camp  the  first  thing  to  do  is  to 
get  a  fire  started — a  thing  which  any  one  can  do 
when  there  is  plenty  of  dry  wood,  but  a  cUfficult 
thing  to  do  when  there  has  been  a  long,  pelting  rain, 
and  everything  is  soaked  with  water. 

In  rainy  weather  never  try  to  start  a  fire  by  chop- 
ping down  a  pine  or  a  spruce,  as  the  wood  is  too  green 
to  burn,  or  a  birch,  beech  or  maple,  as  the  wood  is 
too  hard.  If  you  cannot  find  dry  wood  hunt  around 
for  a  cedar,  as  it  sphts  easily  and  ignites  quickly. 
After  you  have  chopped  it  into  firewood,  take  some 
of  the  smaller  pieces  and  stack  them  in  a  pyramid 
to  make  a  draught.  Then  from  the  dry  heart  of  the 
tree  whittle  up  enough  shavings  to  start  your  fire 
with.  If  you  cannot  find  a  cedar  you  can  generally 
get  some  dry  birch  bark  on  the  lee  side  of  the  tree, 
and  by  using  dead  twigs  you  can  get  enough  of  a 
blaze  to  dry  the  firewood.  If  you  cannot  find  either 
a  cedar  or  a  birch  the  only  thing  left  to  do  is  to  chop 
into  a  fallen  tree  for  dry  wood  and  then  whittle  up 
shavings. 

43 


The  Night  Fire 

If  it  is  still  raining,  build  your  fire  on  the  lee 
side  of  some  tree  or  boulder  where  the  rain  will  not 
reach  it. 

Never  use  the  limbs  of  trees  or  brushwood  for 
firewood  for  the  night.  These  give  momentary  com- 
fort, but  for  the  night  you  should  have  hard  wood, 
which  will  take  care  of  you  for  hours  and  let  you 
sleep  in  peace. 

Never  cut  firewood  for  the  night  on  low  land 
bordering  the  water,  as  the  moisture  in  the  wood 
will  give  you  untold  annoyance  by  continually  shoot- 
ing sparks  on  to  your  blanket. 

Never  underestimate  the  amount  of  wood  re- 
quired for  the  night,  as  it  is  better  to  have  too  much 
than  to  turn  out  before  daybreak  and  fumble  about 
in  the  dark  for  more. 

Never  consider  your  day's  work  over  until  you 
have  a  good  supply  of  birch  bark.  If  the  fire  goes 
out  and  you  wake  up  thoroughly  chilled,  you  want 
to  be  able  to  make  a  fire  at  once  without  spending 
any  time  trying  to  ignite  half-burned  sticks. 

In  the  winter  time  never  make  a  camp  fire  under 
a  tree  which  is  covered  with  snow,  as  the  heat  will 
melt  the  snow  and  the  water  is  apt  to  put  the  fire  out. 

In  making  a  night  fire  first  cut  two  green  stakes, 
and  drive  them  slantingly  into  the  ground  opposite 
the  entrance  to  the  tent.  At  right  angles  to  the 
stakes  put  on  the  ground  two  large,  green  logs  for 
fire  dogs,  and  on  these  pile  small  stuff  and  dry  wood. 
Then  cut  some  five-foot  logs,  from  black  or  yellow 
birch  or  sugar  maple,   and  pile   them  against   the 

44 


An  Improvised  Stove 

stakes,  and  then  drive  in  two  stakes  to  hold  them  in 
position.  As  the  bottom  log  against  the  stakes  burns 
away  the  one  above  it  will  drop  into  its  place  and 
you  will  have  a  fire  which  will  burn  evenly  all  night, 
and  radiate  the  heat  into  your  tent  instead  of  into 
the  woods. 


A  Fire  BuiU  for  the  Night 

If  it  is  a  cold  night,  heat  some  stones  in  the  camp 
fire  and  after  putting  them  in  the  kettle,  turn  the 
kettle  over  in  a  corner  of  the  tent.  It  will  surprise 
you  how  long  this  improvised  stove  will  keep  the 
tent  warm.  By  having  other  stones  in  the  fire  to 
use  from  time  to  time  you  can  keep  warm  on  the 
coldest  nights.  Another  way  is  to  dig  a  hole  inside 
the  tent,  about  half  the  diameter  of  the  camp  kettle, 
and  after  filling  it  with  hard-wood  coals  from  which 
all  unburnt  and  smoking  pieces  have  been  taken, 
put  the  kettle  over  the  hole  and  plaster  up  the  sides 
with  mud.  A  fire  made  in  this  way  will  need  no  re- 
plenishing during  the  night. 

45 


The  Brush  Camp,  Lean-to  and  Tent 


The  most  quickly  constructed  shelter  is  made  by 
leaning  three  seven-foot  poles  against  a  fallen  tree, 
and  then  spreading  your  rubber  blankets  over  the 
poles,  but  be  sure  the  tree  is  flat  on  the  ground 
or  there  will  be  a  draught  under  it. 

Another  quickly  con- 
structed camp  can  be  made 
by  cutting  down  a  small 
hemlock,  about  four  feet 
above  the  ground,  and, 
after  trimming  away  five 
or  six  feet  of  the  boughs, 
putting  the  end  of  the  tree 
on  the  stump  and  bank- 
ing up  with  the  boughs 
cut  off. 

The  most  popular 
brush  camp,  however,  with  sportsmen  as  well  as 
guides,  is  the  lean-to,  it  being  the  only  practical 
brush  camp  to  have  when  there  are  more  than  three 
persons  in  the  party.  First  drive  two  crotched  sticks 
into  the  ground  about  eight  feet  apart  for  posts,  and 
on  these  put  a  stout  sapling.  Against  this  lean  some 
poles,  about  a  foot  apart,  making  them  secure  at 
the  bottom  by  sticking  them  into  the  groimd  or  by 
rolling  a  log  against  them.  On  this  framework,  and 
up  and  down  the  sides,  lay  hemlock  or  spruce 
boughs,  which  should  be  lapped  so  that  they  will 
shed  the  rain. 

The  best  bough  beds  are  made  from  the  tops  of 
balsam  fir  boughs,  as  they  have  thick,  flat  needles. 

46 


The  Quickest  Camp  to  Set  Up 


Bough  Beds 

Next  to  these  come  the  other  firs,  hemlock,  juniper, 
cedar,  and  spruce  m  the  order  named,  and  then  cherry, 
willow,  alder,  and  the  shrubs.  If  properly  made  one 
of  these  beds  is  as  easy  to  sleep  on  as  a  hair  mattress 
on  wire  springs.  The  bough  bed  should  be  at  least 
a  foot  thick  and  be  shingled  from  the  back  toward 
the  opening,  so  that  the  butts  will  always  be  under- 
neath.    Before  you  begin  laying  them  put  a  log  at 


Kh'jii'h    ill  the    Woodti  u-s  a  Kennel 


the  back  of  the  bed  so  that  your  head  will  be  higher 
than  your  feet  when  the  bed  is  boughed  down,  and 
another  log  at  the  front.  After  you  have  made  the 
bed  peg  down  a  pole  just  back  of  the  front  log  to 
hold  the  end  boughs  down,  and  then  spread  your 
rubber  blanket  out  with  the  rubber  side  down. 

Although  a  brush  camp  is  good  enough  for  a 
night  or  two,  you  probably  know,  if  you  have  Uved 
in  the  woods,  the  discomforts  of  a  leaky  roof,  and 
that  it  does  not  add  to  your  comfort  to  feel  the  rain 
playing  a  tattoo  on  you  during  the  night.    If  you 

47 


Setting  up  a  Tent 

have  a  tent,  and  half  an  hour  of  daylight  left,  don't 
take  any  chances  of  its  raining.  It  is  astonishing 
how  quickly  a  tent  can  be  pitched  and  the  camp 
put  to  rights  if  each  person  knows  what  to  do.  While 
one  is  chopping  up  a  dry  spruce  log  for  a  quick  fire, 
another  fells  a  maple  or  a  birch  for  wood  for  the 
night,  another  gets  some  balsam  boughs  for  the  bed, 
and  the  other  unrolls  the  tents  and  spreads  out  the 
cooking  kit.  Then,  while  two  are  pitching  the  tent, 
the  other  two  do  the  cooking,  and  soon,  as  if  by 
magic,  your  camp  has  all  those  little  touches  which 
make  one  feel  contented  with  his  surroundings. 

In  setting  up  a  tent,  first  cut  four  poles  seventeen 
feet  long  and  one  pole  twenty  feet  long.  Then 
spread  the  tent  out  where  you  are  to  pitch  it,  and  run 
through  the  top  of  it  the  twenty-foot  pole  and  a 
piece  of  rope  fifty  feet  long.  Take  two  of  the  seven- 
teen-foot poles  and  tie  them  together  with  marline 
twine  two  feet  from  the  ends  to  hold  the  front  of  the 
twenty-foot  pole  up,  and  tie  the  other  two  poles  in 
the  same  way  for  the  back  end.  Then  hft  up  the 
twenty-foot  pole  and  the  tent  by  the  poles  which  are 
tied  together,  tying  the  fifty-foot  rope  to  short  stakes 
driven  into  the  ground  ten  feet  from  the  front  and  the 
back  of  the  tent,  then  spread  the  seventeen-foot  poles 
out  at  the  bottom  until  the  tent  just  touches  the 
ground  ready  to  be  pegged  down.  By  pitching  a 
tent  in  this  way  there  is  no  tent  pole  at  the  entrance 
to  stumble  against,  and  when  your  tent  sags,  as  it 
always  will  during  a  rain,  you  have  only  to  pull  in 
the  poles  at  the  bottom  to  make  everything  taut 

48 


Shelves  and  Dining  Table 

again,  which,  if  you  have  tent  poles,  can  only  be  done 
by  tightening  all  the  guy  ropes.  Nails  driven  into 
these  poles  make  convenient  places  to  hang  game  on. 
Now  that  the  tent  is  up,  the  first  thing  to  do  is  to 
level  off  the  hummocks  inside,  and  get  your  personal 
luggage  into  shape.  First,  drive  a  crotched  stick 
into  each  corner  of  the  tent  to  put  poles  on  along  the 
two  side  walls,  so  that  you  will  have  a  place  to  hang 
the  odds  and  ends  on.  Under  these  poles  drive  some 
forked  sticks  to  lay  your  rifle  and  shot-gun  in.  At 
the  two  back  corners  of  the  tent  lean  two  poles  against 
the  ridge  pole  to  hang  your  clothes  on,  first  driving 
in  some  nails  a  foot  apart.  All  you  now  need  are 
some  shelves.  These  you  can  make  by  driving  into 
the  ground,  at  the  back  of  the  tent,  four  long  stakes, 
two  on  a  side  and  about  a  foot  apart,  to  which  cross 
pieces  are  lashed  with  the  marline  twine,  and  upon 
these  putting  small  saplings  for  shelves.  Spread  the 
floor  cloth  out  if  you  have  one,  and  if  not  cover  the 
ground  with  balsam  or  cedar  browse;  hang  a  lantern 
by  a  string  to  the  ridge-pole,  build  a  dining  table 
under  the  awning,  with  seats  on  both  sides,  in  the 
same  way  that  you  have  built  the  shelves,  and  after 
you  have  covered  the  table  with  the  oil-cloth,  you 
are  ready  to  send  out  cards  for  any  kind  of  a  func- 
tion. 

The  Advantage  of  a  Permanent  Camp 

Only  when  the  promotion  comes  from  all-day 
picnics  to  camping  trips  do  you  get  a  real  taste  of 
woods  life,  and  if  you  have  a  permanent  camp  you 

51 


Reminiscences 

are  soon  in  close  touch  with  all  the  brooks,  ponds, 
and  hills  in  the  neighborhood.  Each  will  have  an 
individuality  and  a  personality,  and  before  you  know 
it  you  will  have  given  names  to  them  all.  After  you 
return  to  humdrum  city  life  nothing  will  come  up 
oftener  in  your  thoughts  than  this  daily  coming  back 
to  the  same  camp.  You  will  often  see  the  picture — 
the  tents,  the  canoes,  the  path  which  you  cut  to  the 
water,  the  dining  table,  the  coffee-pot  and  teapot  bot- 
tom upward  on  sticks  driven  into  the  ground,  the  tin 
dishes  and  the  tin  pails  on  a  log,  the  axe  stuck  into  a 
stump,  and  the  smouldering  embers.  You  will  also 
remember  the  fascination  of  hearing  the  report  of  a 
gun  in  the  wilderness,  and  the  query  which  always 
came — what  game  will  be  brought  into  camp?  You 
will  recall  how  you  all  looked  as  you  sat  around  the 
camp  fire  evenings,  puffing  at  your  pipes  and  spin- 
ning yarns  until  it  was  time  to  turn  in  ;  how,  on  those 
nights  when  you  had  been  tempted  to  drink  too  many 
cups  of  coffee,  you  watched  the  stars  as  they  sprin- 
kled themselves  over  the  heavens,  or  sifted  the  night 
sounds  that  came  from  the  forests,  or  listened  to  the 
toads,  the  owls,  and  the  whippoorwills;  and  how  you 
sometimes  snapped  a  twig  to  frighten  away  some  ani- 
mal which  was  prowUng  too  near  the  tent — a  trick 
which  your  guide  had  taught  you. 

By  having  a  permanent  camp  there  is  also  the 
enjoyment  of  never  being  in  a  rush — of  having  plenty 
of  leisure  to  wander  aimlessly  about  and  to  come 
back  to  camp  when  you  choose.  As  you  noiselessly 
pick  your  way  through  uninterrupted  stretches  of 

52 


Reminiscences 

forests  the  deep  silence  draws  its  circle  of  mystery 
closer  around  you.  On  every  side  there  is  a  cathedral 
solemnity,  but  with  this  awe-inspiring  stillness  there 
is  separate  and  distinct  from  it  a  busy  animal  hfc 
around  you — a  life  with  which  you  are  now  a  part. 
You  stop  to  listen  to  the  twittering  of  small  birds 
as  they  gossip  among  themselves  about  the  strange 
somebody  who  sits  there  so  silently — the  fearless 
chickadee  repeating  his  name  merrily,  the  noisy  blue- 
jay  shouting  thief,  thief,  thief  in  the  distance,  and 
the  nuthatch  piping  his  contentment  in  no  uncertain 
tones.  Out  on  the  lake  comes  the  maniac  cry  of  a 
loon,  and  back  in  the  woods  the  lonesome  hoot  of  an 
owl.  You  watch  a  red  squirrel  frisking  in  a  tree 
near  by,  his  tones  varying  as  different  feehngs  are 
uppermost.  It  is  now  an  angry  bark,  now  a  cry 
of  fear,  now  a  chattering  monologue  about  the  in- 
truder in  his  domain,  now  a  long,  self-satisfied  call, 
apparently  a  challenge  to  some  other  squirrel.  Then 
from  afar  off  comes  an  answer  to  the  challenge,  and 
soon  there  is  a  preliminary  skirmish,  each  squirrel 
talking  in  defiant  tones  in  trees  just  far  enough  apart 
for  both  squirrels  to  be  choking  with  courage. 

You  take  time  to  examine  some  tiny  footprints  on 
the  banks  of  some  little  pool  half  hidden  under  over- 
hanging branches.  You  decide  what  kind  of  a  crea- 
ture made  the  tracks,  and  because  animals  have  all 
the  wants  and  feelings  of  man,  and,  at  least,  traces 
of  all  man's  characteristics,  which  differ  from  them 
only  in  a  degree,  you  wonder  what  the  history  of  tliis 
animal  is — whether  in  its  little  world,  at  best  but  a  few 

53 


Reminiscences 

miles  in  extent,  it  has  not  had  as  many  cares  and 
worries,  as  many  pleasures  and  sorrows  as  we  in  the 
larger  world,  and  whether,  in  the  arrangement  of  ani- 
mate existence,  it  does  not  fill  as  important  a  part 
in  nature's  crevices  as  we  ourselves.  You  wonder 
what  hair-breadth  escapes  it  has  had — whether  as  it 
grew  older  it  grew  wiser,  whether  in  the  school  of 
experience  it  learned  to  trust  less  to  its  legs  and  more 
to  its  wits,  whether  it  realized  that  it  is  one  of  the 
laws  of  the  woods  that  sooner  or  later  it  will  have  a 
tragic  end;  that  it  will  never  reach  the  downhill 
third  of  life  which  we  call  old  age,  but  because  of  some 
great  weakness  which  it  has,  some  other  animal  will 
be  able  to  live. 

As  you  sit  there  pondering  you  hsten  to  the  whis- 
perings of  dead  leaves  on  the  branches,  the  low- 
toned  wooing  of  the  tree  tops,  or  the  groans  and 
grumbhngs  of  some  half-dead  tree  as  if  the  swaying 
hurt  it.  You  listen  to  the  wind  now  lulUng  the  trees 
to  sleep  with  its  quiet  murmurings,  now  dallying 
about,  now  rushing  off  until  its  voice  dies  away  in 
the  distance,  and  then  suddenly  it  comes  sweeping 
back  again  like  a  tempest,  and  the  trees  wail  and  sob 
as  their  branches  grate  against  each  other,  and  the 
leaves  rustle  as  if  showered  with  a  heavy  rain.  Among 
the  nodding  branches  you  see  splashes  of  sunUght 
on  screens  of  yielding  leaves,  or  the  sun,  slanting 
down  in  a  single  ray  into  a  thick  growth  of  gloomy 
trees,  makes  so  great  a  contrast  with  the  surround- 
ings that  it  brings  up  dreamy  pictures  of  your  child- 
hood fairyland,  while  in  another  place  the  sun  is  just 

54 


Reminiscences 

twinkling  through  the  leaves  and  looking  like  a  dia- 
mond caught  among  the  branches. 

Often  not  a  sound  comes  from  the  inner  forests, 
and  when  a  twig  drops,  broken  perhaps  by  its  own 
weight,  or  a  leaf  stirs,  your  mind  is  concentrated  at 
once  on  the  sound,  for  in  the  woods  every  sound 
has  its  meaning.  Curiously  enough,  no  two  animals 
break  even  a  twig  aUke,  and  to  those  who  have  lived 
in  the  woods  the  snapping  of  a  twig  is  the  index  of 
all  that  moves,  the  cracking  of  a  twig  heavy  and 
heedless  giving  warning  that  a  bear  is  approaching, 
the  hoof  of  a  moose  choking  the  sound,  and  a  twig 
speaking  under  a  deer's  foot  making  a  sound  sharp, 
dainty  and  alert,  as  if  some  other  person  were 
stealing  through  the  woods.  Even  a  rustling  in  the 
undergrowth  has  its  meaning  to  those  who  love 
the  woods,  and  they  know  at  once  whether  it  is  a 
little  bird  flitting  here  and  there,  a  partridge  scurry- 
ing away,  a  hedgehog  moving  about  or  a  squirrel 
circling  around  to  get  a  better  view. 

In  this  primeval  world  there  are  other  little  de- 
tails which  you  think  about — details  so  insignificant 
that  nowhere  else  would  they  attract  even  a  passing 
thought,  but  which  absorb  you  now  because  nothing 
is  marred  by  man's  embellishments  or  tarnished  by 
the  daily  duties  of  life.  It  is  now  faint  odors  of  de- 
caying leaves,  now  currents  of  tepid  air,  now  little 
breezes  wandering  hesitatingly  here  and  there,  now 
the  softness  of  moss,  now  the  coolness  of  shade, 
now  a  fluffy  cloud  bank  sailing  along  the  heavens, 
now  the  dead  and  decaying  trunk  of  a  tree  partially 

55 


Reminiscences 

covered  with  moss  and  leaves,  as  though  nature  were 
trying  to  give  it  a  decent  burial.  Again,  it  is  the 
stray  fragment  of  some  bird  song  which  adds  to 
the  wildness  and  feeling  of  isolation,  now  a  wood- 
pecker hammering  away  at  a  tree  or  a  borer  drilling 
its  way  through  a  decaying  trunk,  or  perhaps  it  is 
the  croaking  of  frogs.  As  you  move  through  the 
wilderness  you  come  upon  a  tangled  mass  of  dead 
wood  in  some  gloomy  stretch  of  forest,  and  think  of 


'^^ 


* 


C.^'O 


<i, 


Rabbit  Tracks  in  Snoio.     Drawn  by  the  Author's  Young  Chum. 

it  as  an  ideal  hiding  place  for  wild  animals  to  spring 
out  upon  you,  because  of  hobgoblin  stories  you  loved 
to  listen  to  when  a  child.  Now  you  follow  some  slow 
moving  stream  whose  grassy  bank  is  embroidered 
with  wild  flowers.  Now  you  stop  to  listen  to  the 
water  lapping  along  a  stretch  of  golden  sand,  or  the 
magic  voice  of  a  brook  fretting  away  as  it  tumbles 
over  half-sunken  boulders,  which  makes  it  the  most 
human  and  the  most  companionable  of  all  inanimate 
things,  for  it  has  a  life  and  a  character  of  its  own. 

56 


Reminiscences 

And  in  the  winter  time  when  the  snow  is  on  the 
ground  you  love  to  take  the  census  of  the  woods 
from  the  tracks  which  are  everywhere. 

To  the  man  absorbed  with  money-making,  these 
musings  of  soUtude  lead  to  thoughts  which  are  strange 
in  his  mind.  The  roar  and  confusion  of  the  world 
are  forgotten.  He  is  beyond  the  reach  of  the  post- 
office,  the  telephone,  and  telegrams.  Here  there  are 
no  steam  whistles  and  factory  bells,  no  puffing  of 
locomotives,  no  bustle  of  city  life,  no  clubs,  no  social 
functions.  The  nearest  road  and  the  nearest  house 
are  miles  away.  Because  he  no  longer  breathes  the 
air  of  other  men,  but  the  tonic  of  the  forests,  this 
brings  back  again  the  buoyant  spirits  of  his  boyhood. 
His  cares  and  worries  have  disappeared,  and  he  feels 
as  if  school  were  out  never  to  keep  again.  Ambition 
is  now  without  standing  ground,  for  here  there  is  no 
fight  for  any  top  round,  and  no  frittering  away  of 
life  by  civilized  details.  It  is  this  which  puts  him  off 
his  guard,  and  because  he  looks  his  feelings  squarely 
in  the  face,  his  inner  self  better  shows  itself  than  when 
he  was  on  parade.  With  the  passing  hours  he  ponders 
over  things  not  taught  in  school  or  learned  by  con- 
tact with  other  men.  He  takes  the  weather  as  it 
comes,  wet  or  dry,  and  fortune  as  it  falls.  Here  he 
finds  that  printed  precepts  are  poor  substitutes  for 
nature's  wild  school  of  teaching.  Here  he  learns 
that  it  is  the  touch  of  danger  which  brings  out  the 
joys  of  fife,  and  that  it  is  better  to  desire  the  things 
which  one  has  than  to  have  the  things  which  one  de- 
sires.   Here  it  is  just  as  respectable  to  be  idling  away 

57 


Reminiscences 

the  time  along  the  side  of  a  brook,  or  with  your  pipe 
in  your  mouth  to  be  lying  against  the  trunk  of  a  tree, 
dreaming  of  the  chances  of  the  future  by  the  changes 
of  the  past,  as  to  be  pegging  along  for  a  larger  bank 
account,  which,  no  matter  how  honestly  done,  carries 
a  taint  with  it,  for  it  has  somewhere  in  it  the  elements 
of  horse  trading,  because  what  one  has  gained  has 
been  at  the  expense  of  another.  Here,  because  the 
woods  are  so  full  of  mystery,  and  so  full  of  peace, 
wild  horses  are  ridden  and  the  plain,  practical,  every- 
day virtues  and  the  best  and  deepest  feelings  come 
surging  up.  As  you  think  over  the  struggles  and  the 
turmoils  of  your  Ufe  you  perhaps  recall  some  trivial 
circumstance,  which,  drifting  against  the  cog  wheels 
of  your  life,  turned  it  into  other  channels — how  new 
hopes,  new  ambitions,  new  plans  sprang  into  being, 
and  that  the  unnoticed  incident,  changing  but  for  a 
moment  the  daily  environment,  crushed  forever  all 
old  ambitions  and  long-cherished  plans,  and  then 
there  come  up  queries  of  the  whys  and  the  where- 
fores of  it  all  and  the  strange  paradoxes  of  human 
existence. 

//  Caught  in  the  Woods  Over  Night 

If  you  get  so  far  from  camp  that  you  have  to  spend 
the  night  in  the  woods,  do  not  pick  out  a  camping 
place  on  the  bank  of  a  stream  or  pond,  but  on  a 
ridge  or  knoll.  Hunt  around  for  a  large  boulder, 
with  an  up  and  down  face,  and  against  it  build  a 
friendship  fire,  so  that  the  heat  radiating  from  the 
stone   will   keep  you  warm.    Next,  make  a  brush 

58 


Getting  a  Fire 

lean-to  facing  the  fire,  and  after  that  collect  enough 
firewood  to  keep  the  fire  going  through  the  night. 
By  doing  this  you  will  keep  your  mind  occupied,  and 
perhaps  keep  from  getting  rattled. 

If  you  have  forgotten  to  bring  your  waterproof 
match  box  get  some  dry,  decomposed  wood,  or  punk 
as  it  is  called,  out  of  a  decayed  stump  or  rotten  cedar 
log,  and  with  a  piece  of  quartz  or  a  hard,  jagged  rock 
make  a  spark  by  striking  it  against  your  knife  blade, 
with  slanting  blows  toward  the  punk.  If  you  have 
forgotten  your  knife  use  two  rocks,  and  if  you  cannot 
find  any  punk  make  a  fine  hnt  with  some  of  the  cotton 
lining  of  your  coat.  Don't  waste  your  time  testing 
those  Indian  fables  of  rubbing  two  sticks  together 
until  one  begins  to  burn,  or  those  yarns  about  scrap- 
ing fine  curly  shavings  from  a  pine  stick  and  lighting 
them  with  a  spark. 


After  the  Day's   \i  orK  is  Over 

59 


CHAPTER    V 


CAMP  COOKING 


Remember  that  there  is  no  place  which  brings  out 
the  sharp  edges  of  a  man  Hke  the  woods.  You  and 
your  companions  may  be  members  of  the  same  church 

or  partners  in  business,  or 
you  may  have  seen  each 
other  daily  for  years,  but 
until  the  veneer  of  civiliza- 
tion has  been  stripped  off 
your  real  disposition  will 
not  show  itself.  Nothing 
will  take  this  veneer  off 
like  camp  cooking,  and  at 
such  times  all  your  phil- 
osophy and  all  your  early 
religious  training  will  come 
into  play.  Sometimes  you  will  see  red,  and  before 
the  trip  is  over  you  will  make  up  your  mind  that 
some  men  could  never  learn  to  cook,  and  that  others 
could  not  boil  water  without  burning  it.  Above  all 
things  don't  show  such  a  lazy  streak  in  your  make-up 
that  your  companions  will  tell  your  friends  when  you 
get  home  that  you  said,  "John,  you  get  the  wood 

60 


Getting  Ready 


Fire  for  Cooking 

and  build  the  fire;  Fred,  you  get  the  breakfast; 
Tom,  you  wash  the  dishes,  and  I'll  put  the  fire  out." 

Always  have  a  separate  fire  for  the  cooking,  but 
don't  be  an  amateur  and  because  wood  is  plenty 
have  a  fire  which  will  roast  an  ox.  Leave  some  of 
the  wood  for  a  return  trip.  Before  you  begin  cook- 
ing let  the  wood  burn  until  there  are  plenty  of  live 
coals.  Then,  poke  the  pieces  which  are  still  giving 
out  a  flame  to  one  side  for  the  boiUng  and  stewing, 
and  use  the  hot  ashes  and  live  coals  for  broiling,  bak- 
ing, roasting  and  frying.  Remember  that  old  camp 
cooks  take  all  unburnt  wood  out  of  the  fire  before 
they  begin  to  cook,  and  that  the  novice  is  sure  to  put 
more  wood  on.  Remember,  too,  that  the  secret  of 
baking,  roasting  and  frying  is  a  bed  of  hot  coals,  and 
the  secret  of  broiling  is  a  hot  bed  of  hard-wood  coals. 

If  you  do  your  cooking  on  a  cooking  range  put 
two  of  the  steel  bars  on  corner  stones,  and  lay  the 
other  two  across  them,  but  be  sure  to  get  flat  stones 
or  there  will  be  an  accident.  Many  sportsmen,  who 
believe  these  steel  bars  weigh  too  much  to  tote  about, 
put  two  green  logs  on  the  ground,  and  lay  two  other 
logs  across  them  in  notches  cut  in  the  under  ones. 
The  simplest  way,  however,  is  to  level  off  the  tops 
of  two  green  logs,  and  after  laying  them  eight  inches 
apart  at  one  end,  and  four  at  the  other,  build  a  fire 
between  them,  as  a  very  little  fire  will  do  all  neces- 
sary cooking. 

Another  way  is  to  hang  the  cofTee-pot  or  tea-pail 
from  a  crane  made  by  driving  a  crotched  stick  into 
the  ground,  and  in  the  crotch  to  rest  a  long,  green 

61 


A  Wood's  Menu 

pole  with  one  end  held  down  by  a  stone  or  a  log,  the 
other  end  being  over  the  fire.  The  common  way, 
however,  is  to  drive  two  crotched  sticks  into  the 
ground,  one  on  each  side  of  the  fire,  and  put  a  cross 
piece  from  one  to  the  other,  from  this  cross  piece 
hanging  forked  sticks,  with  nails  driven  into  them 
at  different  heights  to  hold  the  boiling  pails  on,  the 


The  Simplest  Way 

frjdng  being  done  on  two  logs  rolled  into  the  fire,  and 
the  roasting  and  baking  in  the  baker  in  front  of  it. 

As  soon  as  the  fire  is  started  you  are  ready  to 
begin  housekeeping,  but  whether  it  is  to  be  that  of 
a  three-room  flat  or  a  brown  stone  front  will  depend 
upon  the  provisions  you  have  brought  along.  If  you 
go  into  the  woods  properly  equipped  you  can  have 
a  choice  for  breakfast  of  oatmeal,  boiled  rice,  Indian 
meal  porridge,  eggs  in  various  forms,  baked  beans  and 
brown  bread,  codfish  balls,  codfish  and  baked  pota- 
toes, venison  and  moose  steaks,  fresh  fish,  smoked 
halibut,  corn  bread,  corn  cakes,  hot  biscuits,  muffins, 

62 


A  Wood's  Menu 

buckwheat  cakes,  boiled,  fried,  or  stewed  potatoes, 
rice  cakes,  doughnuts,  and  coffee;  for  dinner,  rice 
soup,  pea  soup,  potato  soup,  venison  soup,  fish  chow- 
der, partridge  stew,  fish  in  various  forms,  roast  veni- 
son, pot  pie,  broiled  partridge,  geese,  ducks,  macaroni, 
rice,  succotash,  boiled  beans,  onions,  potatoes  in  dif- 


The  Common  Way 

ferent  forms,  rice  pudding,  blueberry  pudding,  bread 
pudding,  and  apricot,  prune,  or  apple  pie;  and  for 
supper  cold  venison,  partridge,  goose  or  duck,  sar- 
dines, toast,  hot  biscuits,  potatoes,  preserved  apri- 
cots and  pears,  stewed  prunes,  cold  rice  pudding, 
camp  cookies,  gingerbread,  and  tea.  No  epicure  could 
ask  for  a  better  variety,  and  with  the  woods'  hunger 
which  you  will  have,  things  will  taste  as  they  never 
tasted  before. 

Now  is  the  time  when  your  bacon  will  come  into 
play,  as  you  will  use  it  instead  of  butter  with  nearly 

63 


Coffee  and  Tea 

everything  which  goes  into  the  frying-pan.  You  will 
find  that  it  will  give  a  better  flavor  to  whatever  is 
being  fried,  and  in  the  woods  .you  will  always  be 
hungry  enough  to  want  a  slice  of  it  besides.  Be  sure, 
however,  to  first  parboil  it  with  a  httle  water,  wliich 
will  prevent  it  getting  burned. 

Coffee  and  Tea. — In  making  coffee  allow  one 
tablespoonful  of  coffee  to  each  cup  of  water.  First, 
put  the  coffee  into  the  coffee-pot,  and  stir  it  up  with 
an  egg  and  the  shell.  Then  pour  in  boiling  water, 
and  after  it  has  boiled  a  few  minutes  let  it  simmer  by 
the  fire  for  twenty  minutes.  If  you  have  no  eggs, 
settle  it  with  a  piece  of  dried  fish  skin  or  by  pouring  in 
a  little  cold  water.  In  making  tea  use  one  teaspoon- 
ful  of  tea  for  two  persons.  Put  the  tea  in  the  teapot 
and  then  pour  in  boiling  water.  Let  it  steep  for  five 
minutes,  and  settle  it  with  a  little  cold  water.  If  you 
are  off  for  a  day's  tramp  and  have  no  cooking  uten- 
sils, tea  can  be  made  in  a  birch  basket  by  putting 
some  water  into  the  basket  before  it  is  put  over  the 
fire,  and,  when  the  water  begins  to  simmer,  putting 
in  the  tea.  The  water  will  keep  the  basket  from 
burning,  but  be  careful  that  no  flame  gets  started  in 
the  fire,  and  don't  try  to  make  the  water  boil. 

Bread. — The  best  bread  is  made  by  stirring  up 
your  prepared  flour  with  diluted  condensed  milk  in- 
stead of  water.  Mix  the  dough  well  together,  and 
after  greasing  the  baking-pan  put  it  in  the  oven  with- 
out kneading  it.  If  you  have  no  baker  take  a  tin 
cover  and  the  frying-pan  or  two  kettles  or  two  frying- 
pans,  putting  the  dough  into  one  and  the  other  over  it. 

64 


Biscuits 

Put  this  on  a  thick  bed  of  coals  with  Uve  coals  on  top, 
and  you  have  an  excellent  oven.  Let  the  bread 
bake  for  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes,  and  when  you 
run  a  hard-wood  sliver  into  it,  if  no  dough  sticks  to 
it  the  bread  is  ready.  If  you  have  brought  nothing 
which  you  can  cook  bread  in,  wind  the  dough  around 
a  hard-wood  stick,  drive  the  stick  into  the  ground 
close  to  the  fire,  and  turn  it  as  the  bread  bakes. 

Biscuits.— Put  some  of  the  prepared  flour  into 
the  baking-pan,  pour  in  enough  diluted  condensed 
milk  to  make  a  stiff  dough  and  add  a  teaspoonful 
of  baking  powder  and  a  teaspoonful  of  salt.  Mix 
it  all  well  together,  but  do  not  stir  it  much,  as  this  will 
make  the  biscuits  heavy.  Roll  the  dough  out  with 
a  bottle  on  a  good-sized  (ihip,  first  sprinkling  some 
flour  on  the  chip  to  prevent  the  dough  sticking.  Cut 
it  the  right  size  with  the  top  of  your  baking  powder 
can,  and  put  it  in  the  baker.  If  you  do  not  have  the 
prepared  flour  add  two  teaspoonfuls  of  baking  powder 
to  the  flour.  To  freshen  old  biscuits  or  bread  wrap 
them  in  a  damp  cloth,  and  then  put  them  in  the  baker 
for  a  few  minutes. 

Brown  Bread. — Mix  together  two  cups  and  a  half 
of  flour,  two  cups  and  a  half  of  Indian  meal,  one  cup 
of  molasses,  three  cups  of  diluted  condensed  milk, 
and  a  little  salt.  If  you  do  not  have  the  prepared 
flour  add  two  teaspoonfuls  of  baking  powder.  Put 
this  into  an  empty  lard  pail  with  the  cover  on,  and 
then  put  this  pail  into  a  larger  pail  on  some  stones 
and  partly  fill  it  with  water.  Put  the  cover  on  and 
let  it  steam  until  the  flour  and  meal  are  well  cooked. 

65 


Cakes 

Corn  Bread. — Take  one  quart  of  Indian  meal, 
one  teaspoonful  of  salt,  one  teaspoonful  of  baking 
powder,  two  tablespoonfuls  of  sugar,  a  beaten  egg, 
and  mix  with  diluted  condensed  milk  to  a  thin  batter. 
After  stirring  it  well  put  it  in  a  greased  pan  and  let 
it  slowly  bake  in  the  baker  for  half  an  hour.  Re- 
member that  the  secret  of  light  corn  bread  is  in  get- 
ting it  into  the  baker  as  soon  as  it  is  mixed. 

Corn  Cake, — Use  one-half  flour  and  one-half  In- 
dian meal.  To  a  pint  of  each  add  one  teaspoonful 
of  baking  powder,  one  teaspoonful  of  salt,  two  eggs 
well  beaten  and  two  tablespoonfuls  of  sugar.  Mix 
this  with  diluted  condensed  milk  into  a  dough  only 
stiff  enough  to  prevent  it  running.  Then  let  it  bake 
slowly  for  thirty  minutes.  If  you  do  not  have  the 
prepared  flour  use  two  teaspoonfuls  of  the  baking 
powder. 

Blueberry  Cake. — ^Take  a  cup  of  sugar  and  a 
piece  of  butter  the  size  of  an  egg,  and  beat  them  well 
together.  Add  one  cup  of  diluted  condensed  milk, 
two  cups  of  flour,  a  Uttle  salt  and  two  teaspoonfuls  of 
baking  powder  to  give  it  more  of  a  ''hist,"  and  then 
put  in  whatever  blueberries  the  bears  have  left. 

Buckwheat  Cakes. — If  you  have  ever  camped 
out  in  the  fall  you  know  that  every  morning  your 
guide  will  have  for  breakfast  buckwheat  cakes  and 
maple  syrup,  and  you  will  look  for  them  as  much  as 
your  baby  looks  for  his  sterilized  milk.  If  you  have 
never  had  them  served  on  a  freshly  cut  hard-wood 
chip  at  daybreak  on  a  frosty  morning,  you  have  never 
enjoyed  real  wood's  life.    The  pile  which  is  put  before 

66 


Doughnuts 

you,  you  may  think  is  enough  for  all ;  but  even  if  you 
are  dyspeptic  you  will  be  able  to  do  the  trick  alone, 
and  long  afterward  when  you  are  grinding  away  at 
your  desk  you  will  have  to  fight  your  hps  to  prevent 
them  smacking  together.  See  that  your  guide  mixes 
the  buckwheat  flour  with  enough  diluted  condensed 
milk  to  make  the  flour  no  thicker  than  thick  cream, 
as  most  guides  get  the  flour  too  thick,  which  makes 
the  cakes  heavy. 

Oatmeal. — As  most  of  us  had  oatmeal  before  we 
had  trousers  we  don't  look  upon  it  as  a  luxury,  but 
in  the  woods  every  kernel  given  you  as  your  portion 
will  be  disposed  of.  To  prepare  it  mix  the  oatmeal 
flour  with  water,  and  boil  until  it  becomes  soft.  Add 
salt  while  it  is  boiling,  and  occasionally  stir  it  to 
prevent  its  burning.  The  safe  way  is  to  set  the  pail 
containing  the  oatmeal  and  water  in  another  larger 
pail  containing  hot  water.     It  then  can't  burn. 

Fried  Indian-meal  Mush. — Boil  the  Indian  meal 
in  the  afternoon  in  water  with  a  little  salt  added. 
Have  some  of  it  with  your  supper,  and  what  is  left 
set  aside  to  harden  over  night.  In  the  morning  cut 
this  into  thick  slices,  and  fry  with  bacon  until  it  is 
brown  on  both  sides.  With  maple  syrup  and  plenty 
of  butter  you  will  touch  your  cap  to  the  cook  and  ask 
for  more. 

Doughnuts. — Your  doctor  has  probably  told  you 
that  doughnuts  are  indigestible,  but  in  the  woods  your 
stomach  will  stand  the  test.  In  making  them  beat 
together  two  eggs  and  a  cup  of  sugar.  Then  add  half 
a  teaspoonful  of  nutmeg,  half  a  teaspoonful  of  salt 

67 


Cookies 

and  one  teaspoonful  of  baking  powder,  and  mix  in  a 
cup  of  diluted  condensed  milk.  Stir  this  well  to- 
gether and  add  enough  flour  to  make  it  into  a  dough 
just  thick  enough  to  roll  out  and  not  stick.  Cut  it 
into  rings,  and  after  making  a  hole  in  the  centre  of 
each  ring  with  your  finger,  and  giving  it  a  whirl,  drop 
it  into  a  pail  of  boiling  lard.  If  you  do  not  have  the 
prepared  flour  use  two  teaspoonfuls  of  baking  powder. 

Pie  Crust. — Mix  the  flour  with  half  the  same 
amount  of  melted  lard  and  add  enough  cold  water  to 
make  a  dough  thick  enough  to  roll  out  and  not  stick, 
adding  enough  salt  to  kill  the  taste  of  the  lard. 

Camp  Cookies. — To  a  quart  of  flour  add  a  tea- 
spoonful  of  baking  powder  and  a  pinch  of  salt.  Mix 
these  well  together  and  then  add  one  cup  of  seedless 
raisins,  one  cup  of  sugar  made  into  a  syrup  with  water, 
and  two  teaspoonfuls  of  melted  lard.  Stir  the  whole 
up  with  diluted  condensed  milk  to  a  thick  batter. 
Cut  it  into  cakes,  and  bake  in  a  quick  oven,  taking 
care  that  they  do  not  burn.  If  you  do  not  have  the 
prepared  flour  use  two  teaspoonfuls  of  baking  powder. 

Molasses  Cookies. — Take  one  cup  of  molasses, 
two-thirds  of  a  cup  of  lard,  one  teaspoonful  of  baking 
powder  dissolved  in  two-thirds  of  a  cup  of  warm 
water,  one  teaspoonful  of  ginger,  two  cups  of  flour, 
and  beat  them  well  together.  Then  add  a  cup  of 
sugar  and  beat  in  enough  flour  to  thicken  it  into  a 
thick  batter.  Roll  it  out  thin,  cut  it  into  cakes  and 
bake  in  a  quick  oven.  If  you  do  not  have  the  pre- 
pared flour  use  two  teaspoonfuls  of  baking  powder. 

Gingerbread. — Take  one  cup  of  molasses,  half  a 
68 


Potatoes 

cup  of  lard,  one  egg,  one  teaspoonful  of  ginger,  a 
little  salt  and  half  a  teaspoonful  of  baking  powder 
dissolved  in  hot  water.  Mix  these  well  together  with 
a  cup  of  lukewarm  water,  and  then  add  flour  enough 
to  make  it  into  a  thin  dough.  Bake  in  a  quick  oven. 
If  you  do  not  have  the  prepared  flour  use  two  tea- 
spoonfuls  of  baking  powder. 

Rice. — F'or  boiled  rice  put  a  cupful  of  rice  in  the 
camp  kettle  with  two  quarts  of  boiling  water  and  two 
teaspoonfuls  of  salt.  Let  the  water  boil  slowly  until 
the  rice  is  soft  and  the  water  has  boiled  away,  and 
be  careful  not  to  let  it  burn.  If  properly  cooked 
every  grain  of  rice  will  be  whole.  When  making  rice 
cakes  add  a  little  flour  to  the  cold  boiled  rice  to  keep 
the  cakes  from  crumbling.  In  making  rice  pudding 
boil  the  rice  in  water  until  the  rice  becomes  soft,  then 
add  a  cup  of  seedless  raisins,  a  cup  of  sugar,  and  a 
cup  of  diluted  condensed  milk,  and  let  it  boil  until 
the  raisins  are  cooked.  Then  set  it  near  the  fire  until 
the  water  has  evaporated.  Make  enough  of  this  pud- 
ding for  the  larder,  as  it  is  always  a  good  cold  dessert 
and  when  warmed  up  is  almost  as  good  as  when  first 
cooked. 

Potatoes. — You  will  of  course  say  you  have  eaten 
baked  potatoes,  but  unless  they  were  baked  in  hot 
ashes,  and  you  sat  on  a  log,  with  a  pinch  of  salt  in  one 
hand  and  a  potato  in  the  blackened  fingers  of  the 
other,  you  have  never  had  the  real  thing.  Never 
put  potatoes  in  cold  water  and  then  let  the  water  boil. 
If  they  are  new  potatoes  put  them  in  boiling  water 
after  taking  off  the  skins  and  adding  a  small  handful 

69 


Beans 

of  salt.  If  they  are  old  potatoes  soak  them  for  half 
an  hour  with  the  skms  on,  wash  them,  cut  a  piece  off 
each  end,  so  that  the  skins  will  come  off  easily,  and 
then  put  them  in  boiling  water.  For  fried  potatoes 
cut  some  boiled  potatoes  into  thin  slices,  and  put 
them  into  the  frying-pan  with  strips  of  bacon.  For 
Saratoga  chips  use  raw  potatoes  instead  of  boiled 
ones,  and  fry  them  in  boiUng  hot  lard.  For  stewed 
potatoes  cut  some  boiled  potatoes  into  sUces,  and 
after  putting  them  into  the  frying-pan  with  enough 
water  to  cover  them,  thicken  them  with  a  Uttle  flour, 
pouring  in  diluted  condensed  milk  while  they  are 
stewing,  and  adding  pepper  and  salt  as  they  thicken. 
As  you  are  in  the  woods  add  an  onion.  For  potato 
soup  mash  up  some  hot  boiled  potatoes  until  they 
have  no  lumps,  then  put  them  in  water  to  which 
considerable  condensed  milk  has  been  added  and  a 
little  flour,  then  put  in  a  few  pieces  of  hardtack  and 
season  with  onion,  pepper,  and  salt. 

Beans. — For  boiled  beans,  or  pot  beans,  so  called, 
first  parboil  the  beans  in  hot  water,  and  then  wash 
them  in  cold  water.  Then  put  them  in  fresh  water 
and  boil  them  after  adding  salt  ]3ork  cut  into  small 
pieces.  When  the  water  begins  to  boil  season  with 
pepper  and  salt  and  a  spoonful  of  mustard.  Let 
them  boil  until  they  become  soft,  or  about  three  hours. 
If  you  have  thought  of  it  in  time  let  them  soak  over 
night  before  parboiUng  them,  putting  them  into  a 
good-sized  pail,  as  a  pint  of  beans  will  swell  into  a 
quart.  After  this  wash  them  in  cold  water.  Put  in 
three  tablespoonfuls  of  molasses,  and  after  pressing  a 

70 


The  Bean  Hole 

good-sized  piece  of  scored  salt  pork  into  the  centre, 
pour  in  hot  water  until  the  beans  are  covered,  and 
then  put  them  in  the  oven.  If  you  put  in  an  onion 
or  some  mustard  it  will  give  them  a  better  flavor. 
Keep  them  in  the  oven  from  one  to  three  hours,  for 
the  longer  they  bake  the  better  they  will  be. 

Beans  Baked  in  the  Ground, — If  you  have  ever 
eaten  baked  beans  cooked  in  a  logging  camp,  you 
will  appreciate  why  lumbermen  like  to  have  beans 
six  days  in  the  week,  and  then  want  an  extra  allow- 
ance on  Sunday.  If  you  have  taken  with  you  into 
camp  some  dry  beans,  some  salt  pork,  and  molasses, 
you  can  have  beans  baked  in  a  bean  hole,  which  will 
be  better  than  any  you  have  ever  eaten  at  home. 
First  dig  a  hole,  and  Hne  it  with  stones,  having  the 
hole  twice  as  wide  and  twice  as  deep,  after  the  stones 
have  been  put  in,  as  your  bean-pot.  In  preparing 
the  beans  soak  them  over  night,  and  then  wash  them 
in  fresh  cold  water  in  the  morning.  After  this  par- 
J)oil  tliem  in  hot  water  until  the  skins  crack  when 
you  blow  on  them.  A  kettle  or  anything  which  is 
not  soldered  will  do  for  a  bean-pot  if  it  has  a  cover. 
Put  into  the  bean-pot  a  teaspoonful  of  salt,  three- 
quarters  of  a  pound  of  scored  salt  pork,  a  sUced  onion, 
then  half  the  beans,  then  another  sliced  onion  and 
another  piece  of  pork,  then  the  rest  of  the  beans  with 
another  half-pound  of  scored  pork  on  top.  Over  the 
whole  pour  two  tablespoonfuls  of  molasses,  and  fill 
the  bean-pot  with  enough  hot  water  to  cover  the 
beans.  On  top  put  a  piece  of  birch  bark,  just  the 
size  of  the  bean-pot,  as  this  swells  when  the  water 

71 


Broiling  Fish 

becomes  steam  and  prevents  any  of  the  steam  es- 
caping. Over  the  birch  bark  put  the  cover,  and  see 
that  it  is  tight  enough  to  prevent  dirt  or  cinders 
getting  in.  An  hour  before  the  beans  are  ready  for 
baking  make  a  fire  in  the  bean  hole  with  hard  wood. 
^\^len  the  hole  is  full  of  hot  coals  take  out  all  unbm-nt 
wood  and  half  the  coals,  and  after  you  have  put  the 
pot  of  beans  in,  put  the  coals  back  around  the  sides 
and  on  top  of  the  bean-pot  and  then  cover  it  all  with 
the  earth  dug  out,  being  careful  that  there  are  no  air 
holes  to  let  any  steam  or  heat  out,  or  your  beans  may 
dry  up  and  be  spoiled.  Keep  the  beans  in  the  hole 
from  noon  until  the  next  morning,  and  when  you  take 
them  out  they  will  have  a  flavor  which  you  never 
suspected  they  could  have,  for  in  no  other  way  can 
you  get  such  an  even  and  steady  heat,  or  a  place  so 
air-tight  that  none  of  the  juices  evaporate. 

Eggs. — For  scrambled  eggs,  first  stir  the  eggs  up, 
and  after  putting  some  butter  in  the  frying-pan,  stir 
the  eggs  in  it  after  adding  a  little  condensed  cream. 
For  poached  eggs,  first  put  in  the  frying-pan  sufficient 
diluted  condensed  milk  which  has  been  thinned  with 
enough  water  to  float  the  eggs,  and  when  the  water 
begins  to  boil  drop  the  eggs  in,  and  let  them  simmer 
three  or  four  minutes.  Serve  the  eggs  on  slices  of 
buttered  toast,  poiu-ing  on  enough  of  the  milk  to 
moisten  the  toast. 

Fish. — In  broiling  fish  put  a  thin  strip  of  pork  or 
bacon  on  top  of  the  fish,  so  that  the  fat  will  melt  over 
the  fish  while  it  broils.  If  the  fish  is  a  large  one  cut 
it  lengthwise,  and  then  slash  it  after  dressing  and 

72 


Baking  Fish 

taking  off  the  head.  Cover  it  with  Indian  meal  with 
some  salt  added,  and  broil  it  over  hot  coals,  from  time 
to  time  putting  on  a  little  butter.  If  the  fish  is  a 
small  one,  and  you  have  no  broiler,  needle  the  end 
of  a  hard-wood  stick  through  its  mouth  and  body 
and  baste  it  with  bacon  as  you  hold  it  over  the  fire. 
In  stewing  fish  cut  it  into  fairly  small  pieces,  and  put 
the  pieces  into  the  frying-pan  with  diluted  condensed 
milk,  potatoes,  and  bits  of  onion,  seasoning  the  whole 
with  salt  and  pepper.  In  frying  fish  cover  the  fish 
with  Indian  meal,  and  fry  in  salt  pork.  Remember, 
however,  that  only  when  they  are  put  into  a  very 
hot  frying-pan  will  they  retain  the  juices  and  flavor. 
Baked  fish.  If  you  are  without  a  baker  you  will 
probably  be  enough  of  a  sybarite  to  want  baked  fish. 
You  can  get  ahead  of  the  baker,  however,  by  making 
a  stiff  mud  with  clay  and  water,  and  after  rolling  it 
out  with  a  bottle  until  it  is  half  an  inch  thick,  cover- 
ing the  fish  with  it,  and  then  putting  it  in  a  bed  of 
hot  ashes  in  a  hole  dug  close  to  the  fire.  If  it  is  a 
large  fish  let  it  bake  two  hours.  When  taken  out 
the  clay  will  be  baked  hard,  and  when  broken  off 
the  skin  and  scales  of  the  fish  will  come  off  with  it. 
If  it  is  a  large  fish  you  can  bake  it  without  using 
any  clay.  First,  stuff  the  fish  with  bread  crumbs  or 
crackers  chopped  up  with  meat;  then  rake  away  the 
embers  of  the  fire,  and  after  putting  the  fish  in,  cover 
it  with  the  hot  ashes.  In  an  hour  take  it  out,  peel 
off  the  skin,  and  you  will  have  a  dish  too  good  for  any 
but  honest  men.  When  boihng  a  fish  put  it  into  a 
pail  of  boiling  water  after  dressing  it,  and  let  it  re- 

73 


Chowders  and  Pot  Pies 

main  until  it  is  thoroughly  cooked.  For  a  sauce  put 
some  butter  in  the  frying-pan,  add  flour  and  water 
made  into  a  thin  batter,  then  put  in  some  hard-boiled 
eggs  cut  into  small  pieces,  and,  after  stirring  it  to- 
gether, pour  the  sauce  over  the  fish. 

Fish  Chowder, — First,  dress  the  fish  and  then 
boil  it  in  a  kettle  long  enough  to  get  the  bones  off 
easily,  in  order  to  have  a  boneless  chowder.  SHce  up 
some  raw  potatoes  and  onions  and  put  them  in  an- 
other kettle.  Cut  some  pork  into  small  pieces  and 
fry  in  the  frying-pan.  Never  use  bacon.  Pour  the 
water  with  which  you  boiled  the  fish  into  the  kettle 
which  has  the  potatoes  and  onions  in,  adding  more 
water  if  necessary.  When  the  potatoes  are  nearly 
boiled  put  in  the  fish  and  the  pork.  Put  a  tight  cover 
on  the  kettle,  and  after  letting  it  boil  for  a  few  min- 
utes add  half  a  can  of  evaporated  cream,  and  season 
with  pepper  and  salt.  Never  use  condensed  milk, 
as  it  is  too  sweet. 

Fish  Cakes. — Take  boiled  or  baked  fish,  and  after 
removing  the  bones,  make  it  into  a  mince  and  mix  it 
with  equal  parts  of  bread  crumbs  and  cold  boiled 
potatoes.  Season  it  with  onion,  and  fry  with  bacon 
until  both  sides  are  browned. 

Pot  Pie. — Take  a  quart  of  flour  and  a  cup  of  lard 
and  make  a  dough,  adding  a  teaspoonful  of  salt  and 
a  little  pepper.  Roll  this  out  and  line  the  kettle 
with  it.  Then  put  a  cup  in  the  kettle  upside  down, 
and  around  it  a  layer  of  cooked  meat  or  game.  Over 
this  put  a  layer  of  onions,  and  a  layer  of  sliced  raw 
potatoes,  and  on  top  put  a  thin  layer  of  the  dough, 

74 


Steaks  and  Stews 

pinching  the  edges  against  the  dough  on  the  sides  of 
the  kettle.  Cut  a  hole  in  the  centre,  pour  in  a  pint 
of  boihng  water,  and  let  it  cook  for  half  an  hour  over 
a  slow  fire.  If  it  doesn't  give  you  an  appetite,  even 
if  you  are  a  sick  man,  it  is  because  you  are  beyond 
the  reach  of  medicine. 

Venison  Steaks. — A  steak  should  never  be  fried, 
but  broiled.  This  can  be  done  in  the  frying-pan  if 
the  steak  is  cut  thick,  and  the  frying-pan  is  so  hot 
that  it  sears  the  steak  as  soon  as  it  is  put  in.  Never 
let  your  guide  put  any  salt  on  the  steak  until  it  is 
cooked,  as  the  salt  draws  out  the  juices,  and  never 
let  him  put  any  fat  in  the  frying-pan,  as  this  boils 
the  steak  instead  of  broiling  it.  Another  way  to 
broil  steak  is  to  string  alternate  layers  of  venison  and 
bacon  on  a  hard-wood  stick,  and  after  pushing  them 
close  together,  hold  the  stick  over  a  hot  fire.  A  steak 
eaten  in  the  woods  cooked  in  this  way  has  a  flavor 
you  will  never  get  anywhere  else. 

Deer  or  Moose  Stew. — This  is  a  dish  which  all 
sportsmen  generally  eat  more  of  than  the  official 
capacity  of  the  human  stomach  registers.  First, 
hang  the  camp  kettle  over  the  fire,  half  filled  with 
water,  and  into  it  put  deer  or  moose  meat,  cut  into 
small  pieces,  with  all  the  fat  taken  oiT.  Let  the  meat 
boil  until  it  is  nearly  ready  to  fall  to  pieces,  and 
then  add  potatoes,  onions,  boiled  rice,  and  whatever 
vegetables  you  have.  Let  it  simmer  until  the  pota- 
toes are  soft,  and,  from  time  to  time,  skim  off  any 
fat  which  may  rise  to  the  top,  adding  salt  and  pepper 
for  seasoning.     If  the  stew  is  not  thick  enough  add 

75 


Cooking  Birds 

more  boiled  rice  or  a  little  flour,  which  you  must  first 
stir  up  in  a  cup  of  cold  water. 

Partridges. — Always  open  a  partridge  or  other 
small  bird  on  the  back,  otherwise  you  will  spoil  the 
breast,  and  after  you  have  cleaned  it  always  parboil 
it.  In  broiUng  a  partridge  put  a  thin  strip  of  pork 
or  bacon  on  top  of  the  bird,  and  let  the  fat  simmer 
over  it  as  it  broils.  If  you  have  no  broiler  take  a 
crotched  stick  and  tie  the  bird  to  it  with  hemlock 
roots,  holding  the  stick  over  the  fire  with  the  bird 
on  the  under  side.  If  the  bird  is  not  held  too  near 
the  fire  the  hemlock  roots  will  not  burn.  In  baking 
a  partridge,  if  you  are  without  a  baker,  take  out  the 
entrails,  cut  off  the  head,  and  after  seasoning  it, 
cover  it  with  clay  mud  about  half  an  inch  thick. 
Then  put  it  in  a  hole  close  by  the  fire  and  cover  it 
with  hot  ashes,  letting  it  bake  two  hours.  When  you 
take  it  out  and  break  ofT  the  clay  the  feathers  will 
come  off  with  the  clay,  and  you  will  have  some  juicy 
meat  which  once  tasted  will  not  be  forgotten,  as  the 
clay  prevents  the  juices  escaping.  If  you  can  get 
no  clay  take  out  the  intestines  through  a  small  hole 
in  the  vent,  wet  the  feathers  thoroughly  and  then  put 
the  bird  in  the  hot  ashes.  After  it  is  baked  pull  off 
the  burnt  feathers  and  the  skin,  and  you  will  find 
the  meat  has  a  dehcate  flavor.  Another  good  way  to 
cook  a  partridge  is  to  put  it  in  the  bean-pot  when  you 
are  baking  beans.  This  gives  a  flavor  both  to  the 
beans  and  the  partridge. 

Small  Birds. — In  cooking  woodcock  and  other 
small  birds  scrape  out  the  inside  of  a  large  baked 

76 


Jerked  Venison 

potato,  and  after  dressing  the  bird  and  cutting  off 
its  head  and  legs,  put  it  in  the  potato  skin,  and  bake 
the  potato  again.  After  you  have  tried  it  you  will 
make  up  your  mind  to  live  in  order  to  eat. 

Roasts. — If  you  have  no  oven  for  roasting  either 
fish  or  birds  cut  a  piece  of  green  bark  off  a  tree,  and 
after  wrapping  your  fish  or  bird  in  the  bark  put  it  in 
a  hole  filled  with  hard-wood  ashes,  and  cover  it  with 
earth.  Let  it  remain  for  two  hours  or  more,  accord- 
ing to  the  size  of  the  roast.  By  leaving  the  skin  on 
while  it  is  roasting  it  keeps  the  flavor,  and  when  it  is 
thoroughly  cooked  the  outside  skin  will  come  off 
easily.  Be  careful  that  no  live  coals  are  in  the  pit 
or  the  bark,  or  the  roast  will  burn.  Instead  of  using 
bark  you  can  cover  the  roast  with  several  layers  of 
paper  or  green  leaves  which  have  been  thoroughly 
wet. 

Jerked  Venison, — If  you  have  an  over  supply  of 
deer  meat  which  you  would  like  to  distribute  among 
your  friends  when  you  get  home,  as  a  prelude  to 
those  exciting  hunting  stories  which  you  are  sure  to 
tell,  take  back  with  you  some  jerked  venison,  and 
the  hunting  stories  will  need  less  salt.  To  prepare 
the  venison  cut  the  meat  into  thin  strips,  and  wrap 
them  up  in  the  hide  after  working  plenty  of  salt  into 
the  meat.  Leave  these  strips  in  the  hide  for  two 
hours,  and  while  the  meat  is  curing  cut  four  forked 
sticks  and  drive  them  into  the  ground  so  that  they 
are  four  feet  high  and  eight  feet  apart,  in  the  form  of 
a  square.  In  the  foiks  on  two  sides  put  two  poles, 
and  from  one  pole  to  the  other  lay  cross  pieces,  about 

77 


The  Camp  Cook 

two  inches  apart.  On  these  lay  the  strips  of  venison. 
Underneath  start  a  small  fire  of  hard-wood,  and  keep 
it  burning  twenty-four  hours,  or  until  the  venison  is 
like  dried  or  smoked  beef.  Fish  can  also  be  treated 
in  the  same  way,  first  splitting  them  open  on  the  back 
and  taking  out  the  backbone. 

Hints  About  Camp  Cooking 

Of  course  you  will  often  come  back  to  camp  empty- 
handed,  and  if  you  are  a  good  provider  you  will 
always  have  something  already  cooked  in  the  biscuit- 
box  and  some  fish  and  game  hanging  up. 

Remember  that  if  you  boil  or  broil  meat  too  fast 
it  toughens  it,  and  that  birds  and  fish  should  be 
thoroughly  cooked. 

Remember  that  you  should  never  put  game  or 
fish  in  boiling  water.  Put  them  in  cold  water  and 
after  the  water  has  boiled  let  them  simmer. 

Remember  that  deer  or  moose  liver  fried  in  bacon 
is  a  tid-bit  which  every  one  enjoys  in  the  woods. 

If  you  shoot  a  sheldrake  parboil  it  and  let  it  sim- 
mer over  the  fire  before  you  cook  it,  but  do  not  put 
any  salt  in  the  water. 

Often  when  the  outside  of  meat  or  game  is  too  ripe 
the  inside  is  just  ripe  enough.  To  find  out,  stick  your 
knife  into  it  for  the  verdict. 

Use  the  water  you  boil  your  meats  in  for  pea  or 
bean  soup. 

In  peeling  or  slicing  onions  do  it  in  water,  and  you 
will  not  cry  for  home  and  the  babies. 

78 


Leaks  in  the  Cooking  Kit 

Always  carry  along  some  luncheon  when  on  a  long 
tramp.  No  man  should  go  after  game  without  being 
well  fed.  Although  he  may  flatter  himself  that  he 
is  not  hungry,  the  want  of  food  is  apt  to  affect  his 
shooting,  especially  if  he  has  a  hill  to  climb  or  a  run 
to  make.  Nothing  is  better  than  buckwheat  cakes 
and  fried  bacon  made  into  a  sandwich,  as  they  do  not 
dry  or  crumble  up  and  stick  well  to  the  ribs.  Veni- 
son cut  into  strips  half  an  inch  thick  and  then  soaked 
a  day  in  strong  brine,  and  after  that  dried  in  the 
smoke  of  the  camp  fire,  also  makes  a  good  luncheon, 
and  gives  that  desirable  solidity  of  muscle  and  nerve 
which  is  essential  to  good  shooting. 

If  you  are  on  a  day's  hunt  and  have  bagged  a 
bird,  or  have  caught  a  few  fish,  and  are  just  wet,  tired 
and  hungry  enough  to  want  a  square  meal,  get  two 
flat  stones,  and  build  a  fire  over  them.  After  they 
have  become  heated,  scrape  away  the  embers,  dust 
off  the  stones,  put  your  bird  or  fish  on  one  stone, 
and  the  other  stone  on  top,  and  then  rake  the  hot 
embers  over  them.  After  you  have  had  your  lunch- 
eon you  will  be  ready  to  try  conclusions  with  a  bear. 

Remember  that  you  can  always  have  cold  water 
by  wrapping  a  wet  piece  of  cloth  around  your  water- 
pail,  or  around  a  bottle  of  water  with  the  cork  out, 
and  hanging  it  in  some  shady  place. 

Camp  tongs  are  always  convenient  things  to  have. 
These  are  easily  made  by  bending  double  a  green 
stick,  and  then  holding  the  bent  portion  over  the 
fire  until  it  keeps  its  shape. 

If  any  part  of  your  cooking  kit  leaks  make  a  paste 
79 


Burning  np  Refuse 

of  flour,  salt,  and  fine  wood  ashes,  plaster  it  on  where 
the  leak  is,  and  let  it  dry. 

Burn  up  in  the  camp  fire  all  table  refuse,  the 
potato  skins,  and  the  wet  tea  and  coffee  grounds. 
Also  throw  into  the  fire  the  tin  cans  which  you  have 
used,  and  leave  them  there  until  they  are  well  burnt 
out.  If  thrown  to  one  side  they  breed  maggots  and 
attract  flies  into  the  camp. 

If  you  are  camping  on  the  bank  of  a  stream  or 
pond  the  easiest  and  quickest  way  to  wash  the  dishes 
is  to  rub  sand  over  them  and  then  rinse  them  in  the 
water.  Don't,  however,  tell  your  wife  when  you  get 
back  that  this  is  the  way  you  did  it.  Such  rashness 
would  be  worse  than  weighing  trout,  and  don't  wash 
the  camp  dishes  in  this  way  if  you  have  plenty  of  time. 

The  best  way  to  clean  the  frying-pan  is  to  put  it 
on  the  fire,  and  when  it  gets  hot  take  it  off  and  throw 
some  cold  water  into  it.  Then  scour  it  with  sand, 
and  wash  it  in  a  civilized  way. 


Luncheon  Time 

80 


CHAPTER   VI 


WHAT  TO    DO    IF   LOST    IN   THE    WOODS 

Nearly  every  one  who  has  Uved  in  the  woods  has 
at  some  time  been  lost,  and  when  the  usual  run  of 
bear  stories  are  being  told  arountl  the  camp  fire  there 

is  always  some  one  with 
a  good  yarn  to  tell  of  the 
experiences  of  some  friend 
who  stumbled  about  in 
the  woods  with  his  heart  in 
his  mouth  and  his  brains 
in  his  heels,  trying  to  find 
the  camp.  Because  of 
some  singular  aberration 
of  mind  a  man  will  often 
lose  his  grip  on  the  truth, 
if  it  is  a  bear  story;  but 
when  stories  are  being  told  of  being  lost,  not  one 
man  in  a  thousand  tells  more  than  half  he  could  un- 
less the  joke  is  on  the  other  fellow.  Whenever  my 
turn  comes  to  yarn  it  off  I  always  tell  about  a  cook 
we  once  had,  named  Joe,  a  sawed-off,  good-natured, 
jovial  down-Easter  with  a  black  beard  which  would 
do  credit  to  a  pirate,  who  was  lost  while  packing 

81 


■     y      ■■    Jh 


Hard  to  Find  When  You're 
Lost 


A  Yarn 

across  from  our  permanent  camp  to  a  temporary 
camp  on  another  stream.  There  had  been  a  fall  of 
snow  the  night  before,  and  two  of  us  had  struck  out 
early,  hoping  to  pick  up  the  track  of  a  deer,  intend- 
ing to  reach  the  new  camp  about  noon.  Joe  had 
been  left  to  tidy  up  and  then  to  take  over  some  pro- 
visions and  the  cooking  kit,  but  unfortunately  we 
had  left  a  flask  of  whiskey  in  the  camp.  Perhaps 
it  was  the  whiskey,  but  at  any  rate  Joe  had  hardly 
started  when  he  began  to  circle,  and  before  long  was 
back  on  his  first  tracks.  When  he  saw  them,  thinking 
one  of  us  was  ahead  of  him,  he  stopped  long  enough 
to  take  another  nip  and  with,  "Here's  hoping  I'll 
overtake  you,"  hurried  along.  He  was  now,  of 
course,  bound  to  make  another  circle  unless  he  dis- 
covered that  he  was  following  his  own  footsteps,  and 
in  another  half-hour  was  around  to  what  he  supposed 
were  the  tracks  of  both  of  us.  He  was  now  sure  that 
there  would  be  some  talking  done  when  he  reached 
camp,  as  we  had  told  him  to  have  a  fire  ready.  I 
cannot  do  justice  to  the  way  he  described  it  when  he 
came  around  the  third  time.  "I  knew  I  had  been 
drinking  too  much,"  he  said,  "and  several  times  tried 
to  make  it  out  that  there  were  only  two  tracks  in- 
stead of  three,  and  then  I  was  afraid  I  had  'em.  First, 
I  sat  down  on  a  log  and  counted  my  fingers  to  see  if 
they  would  stand  the  test,  and  then  I  got  down  on 
my  hands  and  knees  and  counted  the  tracks,  for  I'll 
be  dog-goned  if  I  didn't  believe  I  was  getting  light- 
headed and  having  dreams.  I'll  admit  I  was  fright- 
ened, and  took  an  oath  never  to  touch  Uquor  again." 
■        82 


To  Prevent  Getting  Lost 

Afterward  he  confessed  that  there  was  one  more  gur- 
gle of  the  whiskey  when  he  again  started.  That  after- 
noon, becoming  anxious,  we  went  back  to  look  him 
up  and  found  him  sitting  on  a  stump,  with  that  per- 
plexed expression  which  a  man  has  when  he  has  lost 
his  suspenders  or  has  found  out,  too  late,  that  he  has 
forgotten  to  put  liis  necktie  on.  Around  five  sets  of 
tracks  in  front  of  him  he  had  drawn  wabbling  circles 
in  the  snow,  and  in  the  centre  of  each  had  put  a 
stick.  He  didn't  see  us  at  first,  and  every  httle  while 
would  count  his  sticks,  and  then  go  back  to  his  stump 
and  count  his  fingers.  Finally,  he  looked  up  from 
under  his  slouch  hat  and  saw  us,  then  his  face  bright- 
ened, but  the  only  thing  he  said  was,  "Thank  God, 
I  thought  you  were  those  other  fellows." 

To  prevent  getting  lost  in  the  woods  the  first 
thing  to  do  after  you  have  made  €amp  is  to  see  on 
your  map  where  the  ponds  and  streams  are  in  the  im- 
mediate vicinity,  and  the  direction  the  streams  flow, 
in  order  to  get  a  general  idea  of  the  geography  of  the 
country;  and  the  second  thing  is  always  to  take  a 
compass  with  you  whenever  you  leave  camp,  even  if 
you  are  an  expert  in  wood  craft.  You  may  only  need 
it  the  thousandth  time,  but  that  thousandth  time 
"you  will  need  it  bad."  Always  look  at  it  when  you 
leave  camp,  so  as  to  know  in  what  direction  you  are 
going,  and  when  you  change  your  course  as  you  go 
through  the  woods  keep  the  direction  in  your  mind. 
This  you  should  be  especially  careful  to  do  when 
going  over  ridges,  as  you  are  then  apt  to  lose  your 
bearings  without  being  conscious  of  it. 

83 


Getting  Bearings  When  Lost 

Remember  that  in  rainy  or  thick  weather,  or  in 
a  snow-storm,  it  is  often  impossible  to  tell  in  what 
direction  the  camp  is,  and  that  even  a  guide  familiar 
with  the  country  sometimes  gets  turned  around. 

Never  leave  camp  without  taking  matches.  If 
you  are  lost  it  is  better  to  be  without  a  friend  than 
without  them. 

If  you  get  in  a  thick  blow  down,  and  find  that 
you  are  dodging  about  to  get  out  of  the  tangle,  make 
up  your  mind  in  which  direction  the  camp  is  and  go 
straight  through  the  brush.  It  may  take  longer, 
but  the  chances  are  that  you  will  get  out  quicker. 
If  you  do  not  do  this  the  probability  is  that  before 
you  know  it  you  will  lose  your  bearings,  and  then 
lose  your  head. 

If  you  have  lost  your  bearings  and  it  is  a  cloudy 
day  put  the  point  of  your  knife  blade  on  your  thumb 
nail,  and  turn  the  blade  around  until  the  full  shadow 
of  the  blade  is  on  the  nail.  This  will  tell  you  where 
the  sun  is,  which  will  be  sufficient  for  you  to  decide  in 
what  direction  the  camp  is.  If  you  are  in  the  woods 
after  the  stars  are  out  get  the  points  of  the  compass 
by  locating  the  north  star. 

If  you  are  a  good  woodsman  you  can  get  your 
bearings  by  looking  at  the  foliage  on  the  trees,  which 
is  thicker  on  the  south  side,  and  at  the  branches, 
which  are  shorter  and  more  knotted  and  twisted  on 
the  north  side.  You  can  also  get  your  bearings  by 
looking  at  the  tops  of  high  pines,  which  dip  toward 
the  north.  These  are  signs,  however,  which  a  novice 
would  hardly  be  able  to  recognize.     If  you  are  on 

84 


Getting  Rattled  When  Lost 

the  bank  of  a  sluggish  stream  look  at  the  reed  grasses, 
as  most  of  them  will  be  leaning  a  little  down  stream, 
having  been  bent  that  way  when  the  stream  was 
higher  and  swifter.  If  you  find  a  mouse  hole  in  a 
tree  you  may  be  sure  that  it  is  in  the  south  side  of 
the  tree. 

If  you  come  upon  a  wood  road  you  can  easily  tell 
whether  it  is  a  logging  road  or  a  tote  road,  as  a  tote 
road  is  crooked  and  goes  around  trees  and  boulders, 
while  a  logging  road  is  straighter  and  broader.  By 
following  a  logging  road  you  \^iill  be  sure  to  come  to 
a  place  where  two  of  these  roads  come  together, 
which  will  always  be  pointing  in  the  direction  of 
water,  as  all  logging  roads  lead  to  some  stream  or 
pond. 

When  tramping  about,  if  there  is  any  question 
in  your  mind  that  you  may  not  be  able  to  find  your 
way  back  to  camp,  break  the  branch  of  a  bush  oc- 
casionally, which  will  tell  you  the  way  to  go  when  you 
return. 

If  you  have  never  been  lost  in  the  woods  you  do 
not  know  how  completely  a  man  gets  rattled  when 
it  dawns  upon  him  that  he  does  not  know  in  which 
direction  to  go.  In  his  first  excitement  he  goes 
stalking  off  almost  on  a  run,  and  as  he  becomes  more 
anil  more  excited  he  becomes  the  more  warped  in 
his  judgment.  He  soon  becomes  headstrong  and, 
being  in  anything  but  a  passive  frame  of  mind,  will 
pay  no  attention  to  well-known  signs  which  would 
tell  him  where  the  camp  was,  this  being  especially 
true  if  he  has  made  up  his  mind  that  the  camp  is  in 

85 


Circling  When  Lost 

another  cUrection;  his  frame  of  mind  now  being  worse 
than  that  of  the  Indian,  who  angrily  said,  ''Indian  no 
lost!  Indian  here!  Wigwam  lost!"  More  than  one 
man  in  tliis  frame  of  mind  has  come  to  some  stream 
well  known  to  him,  and  because  he  thought  it  was 
flowing  in  the  wrong  direction,  believed  that  some- 
thing had  dammed  it  up,  or  as  a  friend  once  said  to 
me,  "How  in  the  devil  did  this  brook  ever  get  over 
on  this  side  of  the  tote  road?"  Others  have  insisted 
that  the  sun  was  wrong  in  the  heavens.  Others  have 
been  so  completely  dazed  that  they  were  not  able  to 
recognize  their  own  camps  when  they  came  out  of 
the  woods,  and  others  halve  been  dazed  enough  not 
to  know,  when  looking  at  a  compass,  which  was  the 
north  end  of  the  needle — the  black  or  the  white;  and 
more  than  one  man  has  come  out  of  the  woods  in  a 
white  rage,  convinced  that  his  compass  had  been  in 
such  close  proximity  to  iron  that  it  pointed  WTong. 
If  a  man  who  is  lost  would  only  keep  his  mind  clear 
enough  to  go  straight  ahead  in  any  direction,  he  would 
soon  come  to  a  lumberman's  road  or  some  stream 
where  he  could  get  his  bearings;  but,  instead  of  doing 
this,  he  wanders  about  in  a  circle,  often  over  a  piece 
of  woods  not  twenty  acres  in  size.  Many  reasons 
have  been  given  for  this.  One  plausible  reason  is 
that  the  heart,  being  on  the  left  side  of  the  body, 
makes  a  person  take  a  stronger  step  with  the  left 
foot,  which  keeps  him  bearing  to  the  right. 

If  you  find  that  you  have  lost  your  bearings  don't 
lose  your  head.  Sit  down  and  think  it  over  quietly. 
The  first  thing  to  do  is  to  recall  the  direction  you 

86 


Signals  When  Lost 

took  when  you  left  camp,  and  then  the  turns  you 
afterward  made.  Then  take  your  compass  and  see 
if  it  agrees  with  where  you  think  the  camp  Ues.  If 
you  find  that  you  are  right  start  back,  but  unless 
the  lay  of  the  land  or  something  else  looks  familiar 
to  you  climb  a  tree,  or  get  on  some  elevation,  and 
try  to  locate  something  which  you  passed  earUer  in 
the  day.  If  you  find  that  you  are  going  in  the  wrong 
direction  don't  let  your  brains  ooze  down  into  your 
feet,  and  get  your  feet  started  on  a  run,  but  give  it 
up.  Build  a  fire,  eat  whatever  luncheon  you  have, 
light  your  pipe  and  make  up  your  mind  that  the  only 
sensible  thing  to  do  is  to  wait  for  your  guide  or  some 
one  in  camp  to  hunt  you  up.  Don't  make  any  more 
attempts  to  find  your  way  back,  but  get  some  green 
wood,  wet  moss,  or  damp  leaves  and  put  them  on  the 
fire.  This  will  make  a  smoke  so  that  you  can  be 
located.  If  it  is  late  in  the  afternoon  you  may  be 
reasonably  sure  that  the  wind  will  go  down  with  the 
sun,  and  that  the  smoke  will  rise  high  enough  to  be 
seen  a  long  distance.  As  an  extra  precaution,  build 
another  fire  a  little  distance  from  the  first  one,  as 
this  means  to  any  one  who  sees  the  smoke  that  some- 
body is  lost  or  that  there  has  been  an  accident.  An- 
other well-recognized  signal  is  to  fire  two  shots  in 
succession  and  a  minute  later  another  shot,  but  re- 
member that  it  will  be  of  no  use  to  keep  firing  if  there 
is  any  wind  and  that  it  is  a  waste  of  energy  to  shout. 
The  firing  of  your  gun  will  make  you  nervous,  and 
shouting  will  exhaust  you. 

If  you  have  no  matches  to  start  a  fire  make  a  lint 
87  , 


Being  Lost  not  a  Tragedy 

with  the  cotton  Uning  of  your  coat,  using  the  crystal 
of  your  watch,  or  the  glass  in  your  compass,  or  your 
spectacles  as  a  sun  glass,  blowing  at  the  same  time  on 
the  lint. 

Remember  that  if  you  take  your  head  in  your 
hands  and  keep  your  heart  out  of  your  mouth,  being 
lost  in  the  woods  is  a  comedy  and  not  a  tragedy. 


Telling  About  It  Afterward 


88 


CHAPTER  VII 

SOME  TROUT  THAT  TAUGHT  ME  SOMETHING  ABOl  T 
ANGLING 


Contemplative  men  who  love  quiet  places  gen- 
erally go  a-fishing,  the  favorite  fish,  as  a  rule,  being 
the  square-tail  trout,  otherwise  known  as  speckled 

trout,  brook  trout,  and  red 
spotted  trout.  Excepting 
the  salmon  this  fish  has  more 
gameness,  taking  everything 
into  consideration,  than  any 
other  fish.  It  has  attracted 
many  a  man  from  the  de- 
moraUzing  environments  of 
city  Ufe  and  has  filled  many 
a  Hbrary  with  thoughts 
worked  out  on  the  bank  of 
some  stream  while  the  angler 
has  watched  some  lazy  veteran  Ustlessly  waiting  for 
bugs  to  drop  from  overhanging  alders  or  to  float  by 
on  the  water — for  after  all  the  whole  of  fishing  is 
not  fishing.  There  is  something,  too,  about  this  fish 
with  his  spangles  of  crimson,  blue  or  orange,  his  all- 
round  beauty  and  vigor,  whether  off  the  hook  or  on 
it,  which  so  impresses  the  one  who  has  hooked  a 

89 


Lake  and  Brook  Trout 


Brook  Trout 

good-sized  specimen  that  it  is  never  good  judgment 
to  question  the  length  of  the  fish  or  its  weight,  or 
to  have  within  reach  a  foot  rule  or  any  scales. 

All  trout  belong  to  the  salmon  family.  The 
square-tail  species  is  not,  however,  the  trout  of  the 
gentle  Izaak,  but  belongs  to  that  group  of  salmon 
known  as  Chars,  a  fish  distinguished  from  the  true 
trout  in  having  the  vomer  (one  of  the  bones  of  the 
skull)  boat-shaped  and  no  teeth  in  its  shaft.  An- 
other subdivision  of  this  salmon  family  includes  the 
salmon  trout,  the  Rocky  Mountain  trout  and  the 
Yellowstone  trout;  and  another  the  Mackinaw  or 
the  great  lake  trout,  the  longe  or  the  lake  trout  of 
Vermont,  and  the  togue  or  the  lake  trout  of  Maine 
and  New  Brunswick. 

Salvelinus  FortinaUs  (small  salmon  Uving  in 
springs)  is  the  naturalist's  name  for  square-tail  trout. 
They  rarely  exceed  two  or  three  pounds  in  weight, 
although  in  certain  locaUties  they  sometimes  weigh 
as  high  as  thirteen  pounds,  some  large  specimens, 
according  to  Agassiz,  having  reached  the  age  of  two 
hundred  years.  Their  weight  depends  not  only  upon 
having  deep,  cold  water  in  which  to  Uve,  but  also  a 
large  area  of  water  in  which  to  svnm.  and  an  abun- 
dance of  food;  another  factor  which  has  much  to  do 
with  their  weight  being  the  amount  of  natural  vigor 
which  they  inherit.  As  some  are  large  for  their  age 
and  some  stunted,  it  is,  consequently,  difficult  to  tell 
the  age  of  a  trout  from  its  weight,  although  the  aver- 
age weight  is  about  one  ounce  the  first  year,  eight  to 
ten  ounces  in  two  years  and  one  pound  in  three  years. 

90 


Senses  of  Trout 

In  color  they  vary  from  all  shades  of  olive,  purple, 
crimson,  and  gold  to  the  darkest  of  dark  greens,  those 
that  live  in  streams  that  have  gravelly  or  sandy  bot- 
toms having  the  brightest  colors,  and  those  living 
in  streams  with  muddy  bottoms  having  dull  colors, 
the  males  during  the  spawning  season  having  fiery 
flashes  of  the  deepest  crimson  upon  their  shapely 
sides  and  lower  fins,  and  the  females  brilliant  silver 
marked  with  orange  and  purple  spots,  which  are  often 
dotted  in  the  centre  with  crimson. 

Few  anglers  sufficiently  appreciate  to  what  an 
extent  the  sense  of  sight  is  developed  in  most  fishes. 
If  you  will  take  time  to  watch  a  trout  you  will  no- 
tice that  he  is  always  on  the  lookout,  generally  with 
head  up-stream,  body  motionless,  and  fins  moving 
just  enough  to  keep  him  from  floating  with  the  cur- 
rent. Let,  however,  your  body  or  your  upHfted  rod, 
or  even  your  line,  cast  a  shadow  across  his  pool, 
and  in  an  instant  he  is  speeding  in  alarm  to  his  lair. 
Even  the  shadow  of  a  butterfly  or  a  low-skimming 
swallow  will  often  make  him  scurry  into  deeper  water 
or  under  a  bank.  His  sense  of  taste  is  also  largely 
developed.  If  the  bait  is  a  piece  of  meat  it  must  be 
fresh  and  sweet,  for  he  will  touch  no  carrion  food, 
and  if  an  artificial  fly  is  thrown  to  him  he  must 
be  hooked  before  he  tastes  the  gritty  steel.  It  is 
for  this  reason  that  quick  striking  is  necessary  in 
rapid  water,  as  then  a  trout  at  once  closes  his  mouth 
on  the  bait.  His  sense  of  feeling,  when  it  is  a  vibra- 
tion which  is  the  result  of  some  concussion,  is  also 
acute.     Approach   the   bank   over  his  pool  with   a 

91 


Habits  of  Trout 

heavy  tread  and  the  chances  are  that  you  will  find 
no  trout.  If,  however,  you  will  pick  your  way  care- 
fully, and  if  necessary  go  on  all  fours  on  account  of 
shadows,  you  will  find  him  sleepily  moving  one  fin 
and  then  the  other  without  anv  thought  of  danger. 
Sit  motionless  in  a  boat  and  you  can  talk,  whistle, 
or  sing  as  the  mood  takes  you,  but  drag  something 
along  the  bottom  of  the  boat  and  he  will  instantly 
take  alarm.  The  concussion,  however,  which  origi- 
nates upon  the  bed  of  a  stream  and  below  the  fish 
will  not  disturb  him  nearly  as  much  as  when  the 
vibration  comes  from  above.  In  wading  a  stream, 
however,  walk  carefully  so  that  you  wiU  disturb  few 
stones  and  loose  boulders  and  your  success  will  be 
greater. 

To  fish  successfully  for  a  trout  his  habits  must  be 
known.  Remember,  however,  that  his  habits  in  one 
locality  will  be  very  different  from  the  habits  of 
those  in  a  neighboring  stream  or  pond;  that  in  one 
place  he  will  only  take  a  fly  on  the  surface  and  in 
another  will  only  take  a  sunken  fly.  Clear,  swift- 
running  streams,  whether  large  or  small,  which  are 
filled  with  boulders  or  have  gravelly  bottoms,  are 
the  places  that  they  love,  the  banks  of  these  streams 
being  their  special  hiding  places,  the  larger  trout 
living  under  tree  roots  projecting  from  the  shore, 
under  hollows  in  the  banks,  in  deep  holes  made  by 
some  obstruction  in  the  current  or  where  the  froth 
of  the  stream  gathers;  the  smaller  trout  living  in  the 
ripples,  and  the  fry  in  the  little  feeders  emptying  into 
larger  bodies  of  water.     In  the  spring  and  early  sum- 

92 


Food  of  Trout 

mer  look  for  them  among  the  rapids,  or  in  the  eddies 
along  the  banks,  and  dming  the  hot  weather  of  sum- 
mer where  the  water  is  cold  and  deep.  About  Sep- 
tember they  seek  the  pools  along  the  banks,  and  at  the 
beginning  of  cold  weather  frequent  the  clear,  shallow 
waters  near  the  heads  of  the  smaller  streams.  When 
the  spawning  season  approaches  in  September,  Oc- 
tober, or  November,  which  varies  according  to  the 
temperature  of  the  water,  look  for  them  in  clear,  cool 
spring  water  brooks  flowing  over  gravelly  bottoms. 
Here  the  female  deposits  her  eggs  in  a  slight  depres- 
sion which  she  makes  in  the  sand  by  fanning  away 
the  smaller  gravel  with  her  tail  and  carrying  away  the 
larger  pieces  in  her  mouth,  the  male  then  covering  the 
eggs  with  his  milt.  After  this  the  male  and  female 
cover  the  eggs  with  gravel  and  then  the  female  makes 
another  depression  in  which  to  deposit  other  eggs, 
while  the  male  watches  her  from  his  hiding  place  along 
the  shore.  This  spawning  season  lasts  from  three  to 
six  months,  and  after  the  eggs  are  deposited  neither 
fish  gives  any  thought  to  the  ova,  which  hatch  in 
about  eighty  days,  the  young  taking  care  of  them- 
selves as  best  they  can,  as  the  food  bag  sustains  life 
for  the  first  thirty  or  forty  days. 

The  food  of  the  trout  consists  of  beetles,  grass- 
hoppers, worms,  flies,  grubs,  moths,  mosquitoes,  cat- 
erpillars, the  various  larvae  found  ♦in  decaying  wood 
and  the  water  bugs  which  live  under  the  rocks.  No 
fish  is  a  more  persistent  forager  for  food,  and  when 
he  is  hungry  he  will  eat  whatever  he  can  get,  even  his 
own   spawn   offspring.     Nothing,   whether   great   or 

93 


Where  to  Cast  for  Trout 

small,  comes  amiss,  whether  chipmunks,  mice,  frogs, 
or  minnows,  the  only  puzzhng  thing  being  why  they 
never  attempt  to  seize  skippers,  water  sprites,  and 
whirhgigs,  which  skip  about  over  eddies  and  pools, 
apparently  without  any  fear  of  trout  or  any  other  fish. 
For  bait,  therefore,  anything  is  good.  If  you  can- 
not get  an  insect  cut  up  some  fresh  meat  or  use  a 
trout's  eye,  a  piece  of  his  throat,  his  belly  fin,  or  even 
a  bit  of  red  flannel. 

A  good  time  to  cast  for  brook  trout  is  just  before 
dark,  as  insect  life  is  then  the  most  active,  especially 
black  flies,  moths,  millers,  and  mosquitoes,  and  the 
dampness  of  the  evening  as  it  settles  do^iMi  forces 
many  of  these  into  the  water.  At  this  time,  too, 
as  there  are  no  shadows,  his  feeling  of  security  in- 
creases. During  the  daytime,  in  a  trout's  energetic 
search  for  food,  you  will  often  see  him  chasing  fright- 
ened minnows  over  shallows  or  leaping  into  the  air 
for  black  flies  and  mosquitoes.  At  other  times  you 
wiU  find  him  lazily  summing  where  the  water  is 
purest,  or  in  a  quiet  pool  overhung  with  alders  where 
insects  are  constantly  faUing.  It  is  here  that  the 
slow  striker  is  successful,  for  the  trout  now  comes 
leisurely  to  the  surface,  and  after  lazily  taking  the 
fly  in  his  mouth  slowly  returns  to  his  lair  in  deeper 
water.  At  other  times  you  will  find  him  at  the 
mouth  of  some  riVulet  waiting  for  food  to  be  brought 
down  from  the  forest  trees,  or  breasting  some  rapids 
for  insects  caught  in  the  current,  at  other  times 
getting  a  supply  of  oxygen  in  white-capped  water. 
In  such  places  the  eye  must  be  watching  for  a  swirl 

94 


Where  Trout  Bite  Best 

on  the  water  and  the  wrist  ready  to  move  when  there 
is  the  faintest  strike  at  the  fly. 

Remember  that  the  secret  of  trout  fishing  is 
knowing  where  to  find  your  fish  and  getting  near  him 
without  alarming  him;  that  he  is  more  apt  to  be 
found  in  that  part  of  the  stream  where  the  current 
carries  surface  food,  and  that  in  lakes  and  ponds 
he  selects  those  spots  where  cold  water  is  supplied 
by  bottom  springs,  or  where  a  cold  running  brook 
empties  into  it. 

Remember  that  trout  have  their  social  sets,  and 
that  in  the  social  swim  there  is  always  some  big  trout 
who  appropriates  the  best  hole  under  the  banks,  and 
keeps  the  smaller  fish  up-stream  in  shallow  water. 

Remember  that  it  makes  all  the  difference  whether 
your  end  of  the  raft  is  over  the  ledge  or  off  it ;  whether 
you  drop  your  line  in  a  clear,  cold  spring  hole  or 
make  your  cast  over  mud  bottoms  and  weedy  flats. 

Remember,  that  although  trout  will  be  found  in 
the  daytime  in  rapids  because  of  their  activity  in 
searching  for  food,  they  are  seldom  found  there  at 
night. 

Remember  that  until  the  snow  water  is  out  of  the 
streams  trout  can  seldom  be  caught;  that  for  some 
unexplained  reason  they  bite  better  between  the  new 
moon  and  the  first  quarter;  that  they  are  not  apt 
to  bite  on  still  days  when  the  sky  is  cloudless;  that 
after  a  storm  they  will  seldom  rise  to  a  fly,  as  plenty 
of  food  is  then  washed  into  the  water;  that  on  cold, 
blustering  days  they  are  sluggish,  and  that  a  change 
of  weather  often  brings  good  luck. 

95 


The  Exhilaration  of  Fly  Fishing 

Remember  that  the  best  months  for  stream  fly 
tishing  are  May  and  June,  as  the  streams  are  then  at 
a,  good  height  for  wading,  and  trout  are  then  on  the 
rise  for  insects  and  flies  which  are  then  moving  about; 
for  lake  fly  fishing  the  best  months  are  June  and 
September. 

If  you  have  ever  waded  a  stream  for  trout  you 
will  never  forget  the  exhilaration  which  comes  with 
the  rush  of  waters  around  your  legs  and  the  expec- 
tation of  hooking  a  good-sized  specimen  with  every 
cast  you  make.  You  will  recall  the  flash  of  flying 
spray  when  a  trout  darted  out  from  under  a  bank;  the 
rushes  which  he  made  when  he  took  the  hook;  the 
hum  of  the  reel;  the  line  cutting  through  the  water; 
the  struggle  which  followed,  the  fish  going  first  to  the 
bottom  of  the  stream  and  then  coming  to  the  surface, 
all  the  time  losing  no  opportunity  of  tangling  the  line 
about  stones,  weeds,  and  fallen  trees;  the  landing  net 
almost  under  him  and  then  another  savage  rush  for 
liberty;  then  a  sulky  fit;  and  when  he  bolted,  the 
care  you  had  to  take  not  to  tear  the  hook  from  his 
mouth,  and  when  the  line  was  slack  how  quickly  you 
had  to  reel  it  in  to  prevent  him  shaking  off  the  hook. 
You  who  have  tried  the  sport  with  a  four-ounce  rod 
in  your  hand  know  that  a  fingerling  will  make  your 
heart  beat  faster  than  the  largest  salt-water  fish  that 
ever  swam. 

The  Rod 

Fresh-water  anglers  divide  into  three  classes:  the 
salmon  fisherman  with  his  expensive  outfit,  the  fisher- 

96 


Kinds  of  Rods 

man  of  lakes  and  ponds  whose  outfit  is  of  minor  con- 
sideration, and  the  brook  trout  angler  with  his  light 
rod  and  delicate  tackle.  But  as  all  boating  is  not 
yachting  and  all  painting  not  art,  so  all  fishing  is  not 
angling,  and  if  one  does  not  have  the  proper  rod,  reel, 
line,  leader,  flies,  and  hooks  when  fishing  for  trout 
it  is  little  better  than  fishing  for  tin  frogs  in  a  tub  of 
water. 

There  are  two  kinds  of  rods — one  practical  for 
fishing  and  the  other  useful  in  decorating  the  walls 
of  a  dining  room,  library  or  camp — one  being  too 
good  to  waste  on  walls,  the  other  too  frail  and  too 
shoddy  to  use  anywhere  else.  When  purchasing  a 
rod  make  up  your  mind  first  whether  you  intend  to 
use  it  for  bait  or  fly  fishing.  If  it  is  to  be  used  for  fly 
fishing  get  one  light  enough  to  feel  that  electric  quick- 
ness in  the  fish  which  sends  a  magnetic  vibration  not 
only  through  the  line  and  rod  but  through  your  body 
— an  intensity  of  excitement  one  does  not  get  with 
any  other  kind  of  fishing.  Remember  that  the  best 
rods  are  the  cheapest,  and  that  the  best  ones  are  made 
of  spht  bamboo,  greenheart,  bathabara  and  lance- 
wood,  some  being  made  in  joints  of  two,  three,  four, 
or  five  pieces,  and  some  being  telescopic.  Never  get 
a  cheap  bamboo  rod.  When  you  buy  one,  make 
the  man  who  sells  it  to  you  guarantee  it,  because  a 
cheap  bamboo  rod  is  worse  than  the  cheapest  rod 
of  any  other  kind.  After  you  have  cast  it  a  few  times 
it  loses  its  spring  and  sooner  or  later  is  bent  like  a 
barrel  hoop.  For  fly  fishing  your  rod  should  not  be 
over  ten  feet  long  and  should  weigh  from  four  to  six 

97 


Weight  of  Reel 

ounces.  When  fishing  from  a  canoe  or  on  still  water 
you  want  a  springy  rod.  On  a  swift-running  stream 
the  rod  should  be  stiffer,  as  the  fly  is  carried  along 
rapidly  and  a  trout  dashes  out  at  it  like  a  flash. 
If  you  are  a  skilful  angler  a  medium  light  rod  will  do 
for  all  kinds  of  trout  fishing,  and  if  you  want  to  use 
the  same  rod  for  black  bass  get  one  weighing  about 
six  ounces,  for  with  such  a  rod  you  can  master  a  ten- 
pound  bass. 

If  a  joint  of  your  rod  binds  when  putting  the  rod 
together,  rub  the  joint  against  the  side  of  your  nose 
or  the  back  of  your  ear  or  rub  it  with  tallow.  If  the 
joints  will  not  come  apart  loosen  them  with  a  Hghted 
match. 

The  Reel 

See  that  your  reel  is  of  the  right  weight  to  bal- 
ance your  rod.  When  fly  fishing  the  reel  should  be 
below  the  handle  and  on  the  under  side  of  the  rod, 
so  that  it  will  require  no  strain  of  the  muscles  to  hold 
the  rod  from  turning  in  your  hand,  as  this  would  be 
its  natural  tendency  if  the  weight  of  the  reel  were  on 
the  top  or  the  side  of  the  rod.  When  bait  fishing, 
however,  as  it  is  not  necessary  to  have  the  rod  bal- 
anced, the  reel  is  attached  to  the  upper  side  of  the  rod 
above  the  handle.  For  this  kind  of  fishing  and  for 
trolling  a  multiplying  reel  should  be  used  or  one  with 
a  double  set  of  cogs,  so  that  you  will  get  two  revolu- 
tions of  the  spool  with  each  revolution  of  the  handle. 


Light  Lines 

The  Line 

The  line  should  be  made  of  silk  and  be  water- 
proof. These  lines  are  of  different  sizes  and  num- 
bered from  A,  the  largest  size,  to  J,  the  smallest  size. 
The  G  thread-like  size  with  from  twenty  to  thirty- 
five  yards  on  your  reel  is  the  best  size  to  use  when 
stream  fishing.  For  lake  fishing  or  when  fishing  in 
rapid  water,  the  E  size,  with  from  thirty-five  to  fifty 
yards  on  your  reel,  is  the  best  size  to  have. 

Remember,  however,  that  a  light  line  on  a  heavy 
rod  is  as  bad  as  a  heavy  line  on  a  light  rod.  Re- 
member, too,  that  nearly  every  angler  is  inclined  to 
use  too  light  a  line,  which  is  not  only  difficult  to  cast 
in  a  strong  wind,  but  will  not  lay  out  as  accurately 
as  a  heavier  one.  =   - 

Remember  when  you  have  finished  fishing  to  dry 
your  line  thoroughly  before  putting  it  away. 

The  Leader 

The  leader,  or  the  casting  line,  as  the  English  call 
it,  is  attached  to  the  end  of  the  reel  line  and  is  the 
most  important  part  of  a  fly  caster's  outfit.  It  is 
made  of  gut  and  should  be  from  three  to  six  feet  long, 
according  to  the  place  you  are  fishing.  It  is  gener- 
ally dyed  a  light  blue  or  mist  color.  Many  anglers, 
however,  believe  that  undyed  leaders  are  the  best, 
as  they  are  stronger  and  as  soon  as  they  lose  their 
lustre  get  a  satisfactory  stain  from  the  water. 

Carry  your  leaders  in  a  metal  case  between  two 
layers  of  damp  felt  and  never  use  one  when  it  is  dry. 

99 


Snells 

Before  using  it  soak  it  in  water  until  it  becomes  pliable, 
or  it  is  liable  to  break  if  a  strain  comes  on  it. 

The  Flies 

The  flies  which  are  attached  to  the  leader  should 
be  about  two  feet  apart.  When  two  or  more  flies 
are  used  it  is  called  a  whip  of  flies,  the  end  fly  being 
known  as  the  drag  fly,  the  tail  fly,  or  the  stretcher, 
and  the  others  as  droppers  or  bobbers.  The  small 
piece  of  gut  by  which  the  fly  is  attached  to  the 
leader  is  known  as  the  snood  or  snell,  the  best  snells 
being  made  of  silk-worm  gut,  which  is  light,  strong, 
and  nearly  invisible.  To  prevent  the  flies  whipping 
around  the  leader  the  bobbers  are  often  attached  to 
the  leader  without  using  the  snell.  This  is  easily  done 
by  shpping  the  loop  of  the  fly  through  a  loop  in  the 
leader  and  then  pulling  the  loop  out  of  the  leader. 

For  artificial  flies  there  are  thousands  of  different 
combinations  of  colors  and  dozens  of  different  sizes. 
There  are,  however,  only  four  distinct  types.  One 
type  has  the  wings  attached  to  the  end  of  the  shaft 
of  the  hook,  so  that  when  the  hook  draws  through  the 
water  the  wings  close  as  the  wings  of  an  ordinary  fly 
would.  The  second  type,  known  as  the  fluttering  fly, 
has  the  wings  attached  the  whole  length  of  the  shaft, 
so  that  when  the  hook  draws  through  the  water  the 
wings  spread  out  and  flutter  instead  of  closing  on  the 
hook.  The  third  type,  known  as  hackles,  have  no 
wings  and  are  made  to  represent  caterpillars  and 
other  larvae;  and  the  fourth  type,  or  hackle  flies,  so 
called,  are  hackles  with  wings  and  sometimes  with 

100 


Flies  to  Use 

tails.  Most  of  these  artificial  flies  are  made  from  the 
feathers  of  birds  and  the  fur  of  animals.  Others  are 
made  of  gold,  silver  and  bronze  tin-foil  and  of  gold, 
silver  and  brass  wire. 

In  picking  out  your  flies  a  good  rule  to  follow  is 
to  use  those  which  resemble  as  nearly  as  possible  the 
kind  of  insects  the  fish  li^'e  on  at  the  season  of  the  year 
you  are  fishing.  For  this  reason  study  the  insects 
along  the  shore  and  make  up  your  cast  with  this  in 
mind. 

Remember  that  during  March  and  April  the  dark 
and  dull-colored  flies  are  generally  the  most  effective; 
that  during  the  latter  part  of  May  when  the  days 
begin  to  get  warm  and  through  June  the  brightest- 
colored  patterns  are  generally  the  best;  that  in  July 
the  light-colored  flies  should  be  used,  and  in  August 
and  September  flies  with  sombre  hues. 

Remember  that  small  flies  and  plain  colors  should 
be  used  when  the  day  is  bright  and  the  water  clear, 
and  the  brighter  and  larger  patterns  when  the  day 
is  dark  and  the  water  deep  and  dull. 

Remember  that  as  twiUght  approaches  a  white 
miller  or  a  bright-colored  fly  is  generally  effective; 
and  when  you  are  fishing  on  a  waterfall  or  in  churning 
waters,  that  a  black  fly  on  the  white  surface  will  often 
draw  a  trout  from  under  a  bank  where  he  has  been 
lying  in  wait  for  a  grasshopper  or  cricket. 

Remember  that  on  small  streams  small  flies  should 
be  used,  and  the  larger  flies  on  ponds,  lakes,  and  in 
rough  water. 

To  preserve  artificial  flies  from  moths  keep  them 
101 


Hooks  to  Use 

in  a  tin  case  with  plenty  of  ground  black  pepper  or 
camphor,  or  wrap  them  in  a  newspaper. 

The  Hooks 

Many  anglers  will  only  fish  with  a  hook  with  a 
flattened  curve.  Others  want  the  point  of  the  hook 
on  the  same  line  with  the  shaft  of  the  hook;  and 
others  want  the  point  bent  to  one  side.  Others  want 
the  shaft  straight  and  others  want  it  curved.  Others 
insist  that  the  barb  of  the  hook  must  have  an  out- 
ward projection;  and  others  that  it  have  an  inward 
projection.  Some  will  only  use  steely  blue  hooks, 
others  brown  enamelled  hooks,  and  others  black  or 
japanned  hooks. 

Many  anglers,  too,  have  their  special  theories 
about  the  size  of  the  hook  to  use.  These  are  num- 
bered from  12°,  the  largest  size,  down  to  1°  and  then 
from  1  down  to  18,  the  smallest  size.  For  salmon 
fishing  use  number  12°  do'^n  to  number  1°;  for  black 
bass  and  pickerel  number  1  down  to  number  6;  for 
togue,  longe,  and  lake  trout  number  4  down  to  num- 
ber 6,  and  for  trout  number  6  down  to  number  14, 
according  to  the  size  of  the  trout  you  expect  to  get. 

Casting' a  Fly 

If  possible,  face  the  sun  when  trout  fishing,  so  that 
your  shadow  will  not  fall  upon  the  water.  WTien 
wading  a  brook  or  fishing  in  rapid,  foamy  water 
walk  down  stream,  and  be  careful  not  to  stir  up  more 
sand,  mud,  or  gravel  than  necessary.     \Mien  fishing 

102 


Striking 

on  a  broad,  silent  river  it  makes  no  difference  whether 
you  go  up  or  down  the  stream. 

When  casting  use  all  the  line  the  width  of  the 
stream  will  allow  and  keep  out  of  sight  where  it  is 
possible.  Never  neglect  the  sides  or  the  middle  of 
the  stream,  and  cast  in  every  part  of  each  pool,  even 
the  shallow  places,  for  trout,  especially  in  the  spring, 
often  go  into  shallow  water  to  sun  themselves. 

In  making  a  cast  do  not  work  your  arm  as  though 
you  were  signalling  an  electric  car.  Remember 
that  the  wrist  does  it  all.  Send  the  flies  out  and  not 
down,  making  your  cast  with  the  idea  that  the  end 
fly  is  to  strike  some  imaginary  object  which  you  have 
marked  in  the  water. 

When  casting  be  sure  that  the  line  has  time  to 
stretch  out  to  its  full  length  behind  you  before  you 
bring  it  forward.  This  is  the  one  secret  of  being  able 
to  make  a  long  cast. 

Remember  when  casting  that  you  must  not  only 
make  your  flies  drop  on  the  water  naturally,  but 
must  keep  the  line  and  leader  taut.  You  are 
then  ready  to  strike  if  you  get  a  rise  the  moment 
the  flies  touch  the  water.  Do  not  drag  the  flies 
through  the  water,  but  trail  them  to  the  right  and 
left  by  slight  jerking  movements,  doing  it  gently,  so 
that  they  will  seem  aUve,  and  not  bunches  of  feath- 
ers. In  clear,  smooth  water  let  them  sink  a  httle, 
then  move  them  along  quickly. 

Remember  that  striking  is  simply  a  quick  turn- 
ing of  the  wrist  in  order  to  move  the  fly  a  few  inches 
along  the  surface,  and  that  this  is  not  in  any  sense  a 

105 


Casting  with  Minnows 

jerk,  the  slightest  movement  of  the  hook  being  suffi- 
cient to  fasten  it  in  the  mouth  of  the  fish,  as  his  re- 
sistance helps  hook  him. 

Playing  a  Trovt 

When  you  get  a  rise  wait  till  you  feel  your  fish. 
If  you  are  a  beginner  your  enthusiasm  will,  probably, 
make  you  forget  how  delicate  your  outfit  is.  If  you 
strike  hard  you  will  very  hkely  break  your  rod,  and 
if  the  fish  is  a  small  one  you  will  probably  send  him 
into  the  next  county. 

If  you  have  a  rise  and  fail  to  hook  your  fish  wait 
a  minute  before  making  another  cast  and  then  cast 
again  in  the  same  place. 

Don't  let  your  eye  wander  away  from  the  stream. 
If  a  trout  rises  to  the  surface  mark  the  spot,  but 
do  not  be  in  too  much  haste  in  getting  there.  Re- 
member that  a  master  angler  is  seldom  in  a  hurry. 
Make  your  cast  a  little  short  of  where  the  rise  was,  so 
that  the  trout  will  have  a  better  chance  of  seeing  the 
flies  when  they  strike  the  water. 

Remember  that  casting  a  minnow  is  very  different 
from  casting  a  fly;  that  if  you  are  to  make  a  long 
cast  with  a  minnow  it  must  be  made  to  the  left  or  to 
the  right.  When  casting  with  a  minnow  do  not  use 
the  reel,  but  pull  out  enough  line  for  the  cast,  and 
let  the  slack  go  with  the  cast. 

As  soon  as  you  get  a  strike  take  the  rod  in  your 
left  hand  in  order  to  have  the  right  hand  to  reel  in 
with  and  later  to  land  your  fish  with.  If  it  is  a  large 
trout  turn  the  rod  over  so  that  the  line  will  be  on 

106 


Leading  a  Trout 

the  under  side  of  the  rod,  as  in  this  position  the  Une 
only  pulls  through  the  rings  and  does  not  press  against 
the  rod  when  it  bends. 

If  you  have  fastened  your  fish  and  he  puUs  hard 
give  him  line,  but  make  him  earn  every  inch  of  it. 
When  he  gets  tired  reel  him  in,  but  look  out  for  his 
last  break,  for  nearly  every  trout,  no  matter  how 


A  Day's  Record 

tired  he  may  be,  will  make  a  final,  vicious  rush  for 
liberty,  and  his  capers  in  his  last  struggle  wiU  often 
end  in  his  escape. 


Landing  a  Trout 

Head  your  fish  away  from  boulders  and  tree  roots. 
Keep  the  line  taut  and  do  not  nervously  hurry  the 
play.  If  you  have  hooked  a  good-sized  trout  in  quick 
water  work  toward  him,  reeling  in  as  you  move  along. 
Then,  after  leading  him  back  of  some  rock  where  the 

107 


Killing  a  Trout 

water  is  not  swift,  reel  in  all  but  six  or  eight  feet  of 
your  line  and  reach  the  landing  net  under  him,  hold- 
ing your  thumb  on  the  reel  in  case  he  makes  a  rush. 
Never  let  a  trout  die  in  your  creel.  Before  you 
take  the  hook  out  of  his  mouth  kill  hirii  by  striking 
him  a  sharp  blow  on  the  head. 


108 


CHAPTER   VIII 


SOME   BLACK  BASS,   SIR,  THAT  I   DIDN't   GET 


Enthusiastic  black  bass  anglers  claim  that  inch 
for  inch  and  pound  for  pound  the  black  bass  is  the 
gamest  fish  that  swims.    There  are  two  varieties, 

those  with  large  mouths  and 
those  with  small  mouths, 
both  varieties  being  found 
in  every  state  east  of 
the    Rocky   Mountains. 
Throughout  the  South  and 
Southwest  they  are  known 
as  trout,  in  southern  Vir- 
ginia   the    large-mouthed 
variety    being    known    as 
Patience  is  Everything         chub,  in  North  Carolina  as 
white  salmon  and  trout  perch,  and  in  the  Northwest 
as  green  bass. 

The  prevaihng  color  of  both  varieties  is  ohve 
green,  which  is  distinct  on  the  back,  lighter  on  the 
sides  and  fades  into  white  on  the  belly.  This  color, 
however,  varies  in  different  waters  from  almost  black 
to  a  light  or  yellowish  green,  the  small-mouthed  va- 
riety usually  being  darker  than  the   large-mouthetl. 

109 


Season  for  Bass 

In  the  spawning  season,  which  comes  in  the  spring 
or  early  summer,  according  to  the  temperature  of 
the  water,  the  parent  fish  watch  and  protect  the 
spawn  and  afterward  the  young  fry,  which  grow  to 
be  from  three  to  four  inches  long  the  first  year,  from 
eight  to  ten  inches  long  when  two  years  old,  and 
mature  when  three  years  old.  The  average  weight 
of  the  small-mouthed  variety  is  seldom  over  five 
pounds  and  of  the  large-mouthed  seldom  over  seven 
pounds,  although  in  Florida  they  often  weigh  fif- 
teen pounds. 

For  the  first  few  months  the  young  fry  live  on 
Crustacea  and  other  animalcules  and  afterward  on 
insects  until  they  are  a  year  old,  the  second  year 
feeding  on  crawfish  and  young  minnows,  and  then 
on  bugs,  grasshoppers,  insects  and  smaller  fish.  When 
bass  fishing  look  for  them  just  below  ripples  and 
rapids,  on  the  edges  of  weed  patches,  along  spurs  of 
land  jutting  out  into  the  water,  under  projecting 
banks  where  the  water  is  deep,  near  submerged  trees 
and  driftwood,  just  off  gravelly  shoals,  or  around 
isolated  rocks  and  boulders  where  there  are  eddies. 

The  fishing  season  in  the  central  and  northern 
States  is  May,  June,  September,  and  October.  Dur- 
ing the  warm  weather,  when  fishing  for  them  on 
streams,  go  soon  after  sunrise,  but  never  during  the 
middle  of  the  day  unless  it  is  dark,  cloudy,  or  cold. 
Use  a  multiplying  or  self-winding  reel.  In  rocky, 
swift  running  streams,  as  the  bass  is  usually  the  small- 
mouthed  variety,  a  light  rod  should  be  used,  which 
should  never  be  over  ten  feet  long,  and  should  weigh 

110 


Casting  for  Bass 

from  five  to  seven  and  a  half  ounces.  When  bait  fish- 
ing the  rod  should  be  nine  feet  long,  and  weigh  from 
seven  and  a  half  to  eight  ounces. 

The  leader  should  be  from  three  to  six  feet  long, 
of  silk-worm  gut.  Have  about  fifty  yards  of  line 
on  your  reel  and  use  a  small  swivel  and  fight  sinker. 
The  line  should  be  number  E  for  lake  fishing  and 
number  E  or  F  for  stream  fishing.  When  fly  fishing 
many  anglers  use  a  self-winding  reel,  and  for  minnow 
fishing  a  multiplying  reel.  When  fishing  with  min- 
nows use  braided  raw  silk  line,  as  the  twisted  line  is 
apt  to  kink.  The  minnows  should  not  be  over  four 
or  five  inches  long,  and  when  hooking  one  put  the 
hook  through  the  back  near  the  dorsal  fin. 

The  hook  should  never  be  larger  than  number 
one  or  two  even  for  lake  fishing,  especially  if  minnows 
are  used  as  bait,  as  small-sized  hooks  are  not  as  apt 
to  kill  the  minnows.  When  stream  fishing  the  hooks 
should  be  as  small  as  number  six.  Artificial  flies 
should  be  larger  than  the  ordinary  trout  flies,  and 
larger  flies  should  be  used  for  lake  fishing  than  for 
stream  fishing.  If  you  are  fishing  in  rough  water 
bright-colored  flies  should  be  used.  On  bright  days 
and  in  clear  water  the  flies  should  be  small  and  of 
dark  or  neutral  tints,  and  in  turbid  or  rough  water 
they  should  be  the  larger  and  brighter  varieties. 

When  casting  let  the  fly  settle  lightly  on  the 
water  and  then  skip  it  over  the  surface  by  sUght 
jerks  or  zigzag  movements,  occasionally  letting  it 
sink  in  the  water  at  likely  spots.  If  the  current  is 
swift  let  the  fly  float  with  the  current  and  then  skit- 
Ill 


Casting  with  Minnows 

ter  it  back  or  reel  in  for  a  new  cast.  Two  or  three 
casts  are  enough  in  any  one  place.  When  the  fish 
are  rising  freely  make  your  cast  quickly  and  let  the 
flies  settle  only  for  a  moment  on  the  water.  When 
casting  with  minnows  reel  in  the  line  until  the  minnow 
hangs  about  eight  feet  below  the  tip  of  the  rod,  then 
with  the  thumb  on  the  spool  of  the  reel  make  a  quar- 
tering cast  to  the  right  or  left,  keeping  a  gentle  pres- 
sure of  the  thumb  on  the  spool  to  prevent  the  line 
overrunning,  stopping  the  reel  when  the  minnow 
touches  the  water  by  a  pressure  of  the  thumb.  In 
still  water  use  a  sinker  and  a  float  and  keep  the 
minnow  about  a  foot  from  the  bottom.  In  rapid 
water  keep  the  minnow  near  the  surface.  After  letting 
the  minnow  swim  about  for  a  few  moments,  reel  in 
slowly  and  make  another  cast.  Artificial  minnows 
or  spoons  should  be  cast  in  the  same  way.  If  a  bass 
takes  the  minnow  let  him  run  with  it  a  short  dis- 
tance and  then  stop  the  reel  with  the  thumb.  If 
the  fish  gives  a  few  short  jerks  let  him  have  more 
line  and  then  stop  the  reel  again.  If  he  pulls  steadily 
hook  him  by  a  turn  of  the  wrist  as  in  trout  fishing. 
If  he  goes  off  with  a  rush  and  at  the  same  time  pulls 
steadily  you  may  be  sure  he  is  hooked. 

If  there  is  a  swirl  on  the  water  the  fish  either  has 
the  fly  in  his  mouth,  has  missed  it,  or  has  already 
thrown  it  out,  for  it  is  seldom  that  a  rise  is  seen  be- 
fore the  fish  has  reached  the  fly.  Often,  too,  the  fish 
takes  the  fly  without  any  break  of  the  water,  espe- 
cially if  the  fly  is  below  the  surface.  In  either  case 
strike  at  once  by  slightly  moving  the  rod  either  to 

112 


After  Hooking  a  Bass 

one  side  or  upward.  This  will  be  sufficient  to  set 
the  hook  if  your  line  is  taut.  If  your  line  is  slack 
when  you  get  a  strike  make  a  long  upward  or  side 
sweep  of  the  rod,  but  even  if  you  succeed  in  hooking 
the  fish  the  chances  are  that  he  will  shake  the  hook 
out  before  the  slack  can  be  reeled  in. 

The  moment  the  fish  is  hooked  elevate  the  rod  to 
an  angle  of  forty-five  degrees,  putting  your  thumb 
on  the  spool  so  that  the  fight  will  be  between  the  fish 
and  the  rod  rather  than  between  the  fish  and  the 
reel.  Never  give  an  inch  of  line  unless  it  is  taken 
from  you.  Even  then  give  it  grudgingly,  and  reel 
it  in  again  as  soon  as  possible,  so  that  the  fish  will  be 
held  on  the  spring  of  the  rod  until  he  can  be  reeled  into 
closer  quarters.  Do  not  be  in  a  hurry  to  land  him; 
the  longer  he  resists  the  longer  the  sport  will  last.  If 
he  is  well  hooked  and  there  is  a  proper  tension  on  the 
line  he  cannot  get  away,  and  if  he  is  tenderly  hooked 
it  is  absolutely  necessary  to  handle  him  carefully. 
If  he  leaps  out  of  the  water  let  the  rod  straighten  as 
he  falls  back  into  the  water,  for  if  he  falls  on  the 
tightened  rod  he  is  almost  sure  to  tear  the  hook  from 
his  mouth  and  escape,  this  being  one  of  his  wily 
tricks.  The  moment,  however,  he  touches  the  water, 
elevate  the  rod  until  the  line  is  taut  and  keep  him  as 
near  the  surface  as  possible. 

If  you  are  fishing  from  a  boat  keep  the  boat  in 
deep  water  and  make  your  casts  toward  the  shore, 
letting  the  fly  sink  several  inches  below  the  surface 
at  favorable  places. 

Remember  that  during  the  summer  large  black 
113 


Trolling  for  Bass 

bass  go  in  pairs,  and  if  you  get  one  you  are  liable  to 
get  the  other. 

In  trolling  for  black  bass  use  a  small-sized  spoon 
hook.  Tie  on  two  or  three  gaudy  flies,  use  plenty  of 
line,  and  have  your  guide  paddle  about  two  miles  an 
hour,  taking  a  course  along  the  edges  of  gravel  bars 
or  where  the  stream  or  lake  deepens  suddenly.  If  you 
are  using  minnows  for  trolling  put  the  hook  through 
both  lips  of  the  minnow,  then  pull  enough  of  the  gut 
through  to  put  the  hook  through  the  lips  a  second 
time  and  make  a  loop  to  hold  the  lips  together,  and 
then  put  the  hook  through  the  back  of  the  dorsal  fin 
with  the  barb  pointing  upward. 

"A  three-pound  pull  and  a  five-pound  bite, 
An  eight-pound  jump  and  a  ten-pound  fight, 
A  twelve-pound  bend  of  the  pole — but  alas! 
When  you  get  him  aboard  he's  a  half-pound  bass." 


114 


CHAPTER   IX 


SOME    LAKE    FISH    THAT    PLAYED    WITH    ME 


Land-locked  Salmon 

The  land-locked  salmon,  the  winanishe.  the 
wananishe,  and  the  ouinaniche  of  Canada  are  the 
same  fish.  Although  many  of  these  fish  are  land- 
locked, as  the  name  implies, 
most  of  them  have  easy  ac- 
cess to  the  sea.  The  name 
land-locked,  therefore,  is 
a  misnomer.  In  weight 
they  average  from  two  to 
three  pounds,  although  in 
some  localities  they  weigh 
as  high  as  fourteen  pounds. 
They  are  like  the  ordinary 
salmon,  but  are  longer  in 
proportion  to  their  weight 
than  the  trout.  The  color  of  the  young  fish,  when 
first  taken  from  the  water,  is  bluish  olive  on  the  upper 
part  of  the  body,  this  turning  into  a  silvery,  steely 
blue,  and  silver  on  the  lower  sides,  which  fades  into 
white  on  the  belly.  The  color  of  the  older  fish,  when 
first  taken  from  the  water,  runs  from  a  deep  black 
on  the  back  through  bluish  green  on  the  sides  to 

115 


Satisfied  with  His  Catch 


Habits  of  Land-locked  Salmon 

silvery  green  and  silvery  white  below,  these  colors 
soon  after  the  fish  is  out  of  the  water  taking  a 
green  and  purple  bronze  tint  which  shades  into  a 
rose  color,  the  fish  when  in  the  water  showing  oval 
black  spots  when  seen  in  a  good  light.  These  colors, 
however,  vary  somewhat  according  to  the  location 
and  the  season  of  the  year,  the  sexes  having  no  marked 
difference  in  color  except  during  the  breeding  season, 
when  the  males  are  brighter. 

Their  habits  are  those  of  the  salmon  and  trout 
combined,  but  they  have  ways  of  their  own  which 
must  be  known  if  you  are  to  fish  for  them  success- 
fully. They  live  largely  on  small  fish,  are  wary  and 
capricious,  and  are  much  affected  by  changes  of 
weather  and  the  kind  and  amount  of  food  they  get, 
as  they  have  omnivorous  appetites.  As  their  fins  and 
tails  are  largely  developed  they  are  very  gamey.  In 
the  spring  and  fall  they  live  in  the  swiftest  waters,  and 
in  the  summer  when  the  water  gets  low  it  is  necessary 
to  fish  for  them  from  a  canoe  or  boat,  as  they  frequent 
the  deeper  parts  of  the  lakes  and  ponds,  lying  singly 
under  rocks  or  in  the  pools  among  the  rapids.  From 
these  places  they  forage  about  for  the  schools  of  young 
fish  swimming  in  the  swift  currents,  or  they  circle 
about  among  the  eddies  after  flies  and  insects  caught 
in  the  patches  of  foam.  At  this  season  it  requires 
both  skill  and  brains  to  make  them  take  a  fly,  but  if 
the  cast  is  well  made  the  angler  is  often  able  to  entice 
them  from  a  great  depth  of  water.  By  the  end  of 
September  the  breeding  season  begins,  as  the  ova  are 
then  well  developed,  and  the  fish  make  their  way  to 

116 


Casting  for  Land-locked  Salmon 

their  spawning  beds  on  gravelly  shallows  where  there 
is  a  steady  current. 

When  fly  fishing,  while  they  are  coming  up  the 
streams  from  the  sea  in  the  spring,  use  number 
twelve  or  thirteen  hooks  and  small-sized  salmon  flies 
or  large-sized  trout  flies.  Never  use  flies  which  have 
much  red  on  them,  the  best  combinations  of  colors 
being  yellow,  black,  or  gray  on  a  yellowish  body.  Be- 
cause they  are  a  gamey  fish  the  leader  should  be  extra 
strong,  some  anglers  using  a  salmon  gut  leader  on 
account  of  the  great  strain  which  comes  on  it  if  the  fish 
leaps  when  the  line  is  short  and  taut.  The  size  of  the 
line  depends,  of  course,  upon  the  kind  of  rod  used. 
This  line  should  be  fifty  yards  long,  at  least,  and  to  be 
safe  it  should  be  seventy-five  yards,  on  account  of 
the  long  runs  which  the  fish  may  make.  To  carry  so 
much  line  the  reel  must  be  larger  than  the  ordinary 
trout  reel,  and  to  avoid  having  it  too  heavy  for  the 
weight  of  the  rod  some  anglers  use  thirty  yards  of 
number  E  line  and  to  this  splice  number  G  line  for 
the  business  end.  The  kind  of  rod  to  use  depends 
largely  upon  the  fancy  of  the  angler.  Some  use  a 
heavy  rod  sixteen  feet  long  and  others  handle  the 
*ame  fish  with  a  light  trout  rod,  the  point  to  keep  in 
mind  being  that  the  fish  is  a  stubborn  fighter  and 
that  the  rod  must  be  strong  enough  to  recover  a  long 
line  quickly  in  a  strong  current. 

In  casting  use  the  same  methods  as  when  trout 
fishing,  and  when  you  get  a  strike  make  the  same 
orthodox  turn  of  the  wrist,  but  strike  hard,  as  the 
mouth  of  this  fish  is  tough. 

117 


Trolling  for  Land-locked  Salmon 

Remember  that  he  often  takes  a  sulky  fit  and 
that  the  more  he  is  kept  moving  the  sooner  he  will  kill. 
Therefore,  keep  him  well  in  hand  with  as  heavy  a 
strain  as  the  rod  will  stand,  for  he  will  fight  to  the 
last.  At  no  time  will  you  know  what  he  may  do 
next.  Even  when  he  comes  to  the  surface  and  shows 
his  white  sides,  the  sight  of  the  landing  net  may  nerve 
him  to  what  pugilists  call  a  game  finish.  No  rule, 
however,  for  playing  him  can  be  laid  down,  except 
the  golden  one  to  keep  the  line  taut. 

Never,  when  trolling,  use  a  hand  line  if  you  have 
a  rod  or  can  borrow  one,  for  when  you  are  taking  in 
line  as  if  it  were  going  over  a  revolving  drum,  the 
fish  has  no  chance  to  show  his  gaminess,  and  all  the 
pleasure  you  get  is  to  feel  a  wiggle  and  wonder  what 
you've  hooked.  With  a  fly  rod  in  your  hand  you  get 
the  play  of  the  fish  as  the  rod  bends,  the  strength  of 
the  line  is  tested,  and  when  the  fish  leaps  into  the  air 
in  his  attempts  to  shake  the  hook  from  his  mouth,  it 
gives  you  sensations  which  you  never  get  when  you 
are  pulling  in  line  as  if  you  had  a  tow  astern. 

When  trolling  have  out  about  fifty  yards  of  line 
and  have  your  guide  paddle  the  canoe  along  slowly. 
If  it  is  in  the  spring  have  him  paddle  around  the 
rocky  points  which  jut  out  into  the  water,  and  if  it 
is  in  July  or  August  put  a  sinker  on  your  line  and 
paddle  where  the  water  is  deep. 

Lake  Trout 

Lake  trout,  which  are  most  successfully  fished 
for  by  trolling,  are  found  in  all  the  Great  Lakes  of 

118 


Season  for  Lake  Trout 

the  United  States  and  Canada  and  in  most  of  our 
smaller  lakes  and  ponds.  In  Maine  and  New  Brmis- 
wick  they  are  known  as  togue,  in  Vermont  as  longe, 
in  the  Adirondacks  as  trout  and  in  other  parts  of 
New  York  state  as  lake  salmon,  lake  trout,  and  salm- 
on trout.  Some  are  as  black  as  tautogs,  some  are 
brown  or  gray,  and  others  are  brown  with  crimson 
spots,  the  general  color  varying  from  a  dark  gray  to 
black  with  more  or  less  of  an  olive  tint.  They  are  a 
deep-water  fish,  and  after  the  temperature  '  of  the 
water  changes  in  the  spring  you  are  only  sure  of 
finding  them  in  the  deeper  parts  of  the  lakes  and 
ponds. 

The  best  months  for  lake  trout  fishing  are  May 
and  August.  They  are  also  often  caught  in  the  early 
part  of  June,  and  old  lake  trout  fishermen  will  tell  you 
that  they  can  always  be  caught  when  wild  pear  trees 
are  in  bloom. 

Remember  that  while  this  fish  lacks  the  dash  of 
the  land-locked  salmon  he  has  a  dogged  determina- 
tion of  his  own,  and  although  it  is  difficult  to  tell 
his  swirl  or  rise  from  that  of  a  trout  or  land-locked 
salmon,  he  shows  his  family  characteristics  as  soon 
as  he  is  hooked  and  starts  for  the  bottom. 

Other  Lake  Fish 

Another  common  lake  fish  is  the  white  perch, 
with  his  silvery  white  sides — a  good  fish  to  have  a  try 
at  when  the  trout  streams  are  far  away  and  railroad 
fares  are  high.     They  can  be  easily  caught  by  still 

119 


Perch,  Pike,  and  Pickerel 

fishing  or  by  trolling  with  five  bait,  and  are  often  suc- 
cessfully fished  for  with  a  trout  rod  anci  fly. 

Another  common  lake  fish  is  the  pike,  with  his 
long  body  built  for  speed.  This  fish,  which  is  some- 
times two  and  three  feet  long  and  weighs  up  to  eigh- 
teen and  twenty  pounds,  is  found  in  those  lakes  where 
there  are  long,  wiry  rushes  or  yellow  lily  pads.  As 
they  are  not  particular  about  their  food  they  will 
eat  anything  which  comes  in  sight,  if  it  is  alive  and 
can  be  digested.  They  are,  however,  a  sharp-eyed, 
sly  fish  and  are  most  successfully  fished  for  by  cast- 
ing or  by  trolling. 

Another  common  lake  fish  is  the  sluggish  pickerel. 
They  are  found  in  brackish  waters,  in  shallow  places 
where  water  grasses  grow,  and  in  sluggish  w^aters 
where  trees  have  dropped  over  into  the  water.  They 
generally  go  in  pairs  and  dart  about  in  search  of  food. 
As  they  are  greedy  feeders  they  are  ready  at  any 
time  to  devour  smaller  fish,  this  fish  and  the  black 
bass  being  the  greatest  enemies  of  the  trout.  Being 
a  stupid  fish,  anything  can  be  used  for  bait — a  min- 
now, a  frog,  a  piece  of  pork,  a  sHce  of  bacon,  a  red 
flannel  rag,  or  a  spoon  hook  without  bait.  If  you 
hook  one  with  a  rod  and  reel  he  is  very  apt  to  rush 
off  savagely  with  fifty  or  sixty  feet  of  your  line 
and  make  almost  as  sharp  a  struggle  as  if  he  were 
trout. 

When  fishing  for  perch,  pike,  or  pickerel  you  do 
not  need  any  special  kind  of  rod,  line,  or  hook.  Go 
to  the  nearest  village  grocery,  buy  a  few  knots  of  the 
cheapest  line  and  half  a  dozen  hooks — two  for  a  cent. 

120 


Angling  a  Science 

Pound  out  a  piece  of  lead  into  a  sinker  and  for  ten 
cents  you  have  an  outfit.  Bear  in  mind,  however, 
that  this  is  not  angUng  which  is  a  science,  and  that 
it  requires  brains  to  make  a  gamey  fish  take  an 
artificial  fly. 


Enough  for  Breakfast 


121 


CHAPTER  X 


SOME  DEER  THAT  I  HAVE  MET 

The  ambition  of  most  every  sportsman  is  to  have 
hanging  in  his  hall  the  head  of  a  deer  with  a  good  pair 
of  antlers.     This  head,  if  he  is  a  true  sportsman,  he 

always  points  to  modestly, 
but  it  generally  paves  the 
way  for  a  story  of  the 
good  shot  he  made.  As 
deer  have  little  fighting 
blood  in  their  veins  they 
are  timid  by  nature  and  no 
match  for  the  larger  game 
of  the  forest,  their  swift- 
ness in  getting  through  the 
woods  being  their  one  pro- 
tection against  approach- 
ing danger.  Against  wolves,  wild  cats,  lynx,  and  bob- 
cats this  swiftness  is  of  no  avail,  and  every  year  many 
a  deer  is  killed  by  these  animals,  even  a  fox,  if  he  can 
get  a  doe  in  deep  snow,  being  more  than  a  match 
for  her.  The  bucks,  during  the  mating  season,  how- 
ever, have  many  a  fierce  battle  among  themselves, 
and  one  often  comes  upon  places  where  the  ground 

122 


An  Unexpected  Slwt 


A  Deer's  Sense  of  Smell 

has  been  torn  up  in  these  contests,  bucks  with  only 
a  single  spike  to  their  horns  being  generally  more 
than  a  match  for  older  bucks  with  spreading  antlers. 

After  a  buck  is  three  years  old  the  horns  do  not 
in  any  way  indicate  his  age.  The  first  season  there 
is  a  knob  under  the  skin,  the  second  year  a  small 
spike  breaks  through,  the  third  year  there  is  gener- 
ally a  single  prong  on  the  horn,  and  not  until  the  be- 
ginning of  his  fourth  year,  or  when  he  is  three  years 
old,  does  he  have  a  full  spread  of  antlers,  this  year 
having  usually  two  spikes  or  points,  the  following 
year  perhaps  five,  and  the  next  year  perhaps  only 
two  again,  and  occasionally  you  will  find  a  buck 
without  any  horns  and  once  in  a  while  a  doe  with 
horns.  After  this  third  year  the  age  can  only  be 
told  by  the  general  appearance  of  the  head,  the  teeth, 
and  the  grayish  color  of  the  hair.  From  spring  until 
September,  and  sometimes  until  November,  these 
horns  are  covered  with  "velvet,"  which  peels  off 
when  the  veins  in  the  horns  dry  up  and  the  horns 
get  bony  and  hard.  At  this  time  the  horns  are  often 
worn  to  a  polish  by  being  rubbed  against  limbs  and 
trunks  of  trees,  and  in  the  latter  part  of  November 
or  early  December,  and  sometimes  as  late  as  Jan- 
uary, they  "ripen,"  as  it  is  termed,  and  fall  off. 

The  inability  of  a  deer  to  put  up  a  good  fight,  ex- 
cept when  they  are  fighting  among  themselves,  has 
made  his  sense  of  smell  and  hearing  particularly 
acute.  So  sensitive  is  this  sense  of  smell  that  if  you 
are  in  his  forests  with  the  wind  blowing  toward 
him  and  the  atmosphere  is  right  he  will  know  it 

123 


A  Deer's  Sense  of  Hearing 

although  you  may  be  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away.  He 
has  also  a  keen  sense  of  hearing,  and  although  you 
may  steal  through  the  forest  so  silently  that  you  do 
not  hear  yourself  move,  he  will  hear  you.  Another 
characteristic  which  is  more  largely  developed  in  a 
deer  than  in  most  animals  is  his  inquisitiveness  and 
curiosity,  this  being  so  great  that  he  will  often  stand 
and  watch  you  when,  if  he  had  only  scented  or 
heard  you,  he  would  have  sought  safety  in  flight. 
This  curiosity  is  not  the  result  of  stupidity,  but  be- 
cause a  deer,  in  his  determination  to  know  something 
about  what  he  sees,  acts  as  a  person  would  under 
similar  circumstances.  In  addition  to  these  three 
characteristics,  of  which  one  must  have  a  proper 
appreciation  to  be  able  to  hunt  them  successfully, 
one  must  also  keep  in  mind  that  a  deer  has  more 
than  the  usual  amount  of  intelligence  and  shrewd- 
ness. 

Like  all  other  wild  animals,  they  have  many  in- 
herited instincts,  but  much  which  is  supposed  to  be 
instinct  is  what  they  have  learned,  when  fawns,  from 
their  mothers.  If  you  have  ever  come  suddenly  upon 
a  very  young  fawn  you  must  have  noticed  how  its 
innocent,  questioning  eyes  did  not  fear  you,  for  only 
when  its  forest  mother  has  taught  it  that  the  scent 
of  man  is  not  a  scent  of  the  woods  does  it  know 
that  this  means  danger.  If  you  have  ever  watched 
a  doe  with  her  growing  fawns  you  have  seen  her,  very 
Ukely,  teaching  them  to  jump  dead  wood  with  their 
wabbling  feet.  You  may  have  watched  her  hide 
and  then  call  them,  or  have  heard  her  give  the  hoarse 

124 


A  Deers  Reasoning  Powers 

danger  whistle,  or  have  seen  them  following  the  white 
flag  of  her  tail  as  she  plunged  through  the  bushes- 
things  which  had  to  be  taught  them,  if  they  were  to 
grow  up  to  lead  the  hfe  of  the  woods. 

Like  men,  all  animals  change  with  the  condi- 
tions which  surround  them,  and  many  a  guide  can 
tell  you  how  easily  a  young  fawn  can  be  domesti- 
cated, for  it  is  only  necessary  to  get  into  its  head 
that  it  is  not  to  be  hurt,  and  it  will  follow  you  almost 
as  soon  as  you  have  captured  it.  Where  there  is 
much  still  hunting  deer  soon  learn  that  danger  lurks 
on  every  side,  and,  adapting  themselves  to  the  new 
conditions,  are  on  the  watch  most  of  the  time,  lying 
down  where  they  can  see  their  back  tracks,  feeding 
less  during  the  day  and  more  at  night,  running  be- 
yond the  point  where  you  can  head  them  off,  hiding 
in  thick  brush  and  letting  you  pass,  and  when  the 
open  season  comes,  going  farther  back  in  the  forests 
into  higher,  rougher,  and  more  bushy  ground.  By 
swift  reasoning  which  has  come  from  experience  they 
know  as  well  as  the  sportsman  when  the  open  season 
begins  and  when  it  ends,  just  as  cattle  know  when 
it  is  time  to  be  pastured  in  the  mowing  and  become 
restless,  or  the  race  horse  knows  when  the  circuit 
opens,  or  the  pedigreed  dog  when  the  annual  bench 
shows  begin.  Because  of  this  reasoning  power  a  deer 
not  only  knows  when  he  can  safely  stand  among  the 
lily  pads  and  watch  a  canoe  go  by,  but  also  when  he 
must  keep  out  of  range  of  the  rifle  among  the  moun- 
tains or  foot  hills  in  the  denser  parts  of  the  forests, 
or  must  move  about  in  his  usual  haunts  with  the 

125 


A  Deer's  Range 

greatest  caution.  It  is  because  of  this  that  the  sum- 
mer sportsman,  when  he  returns  from  his  vacation, 
tells  of  the  many  deer  and  moose  he  has  seen,  and  that 
those  who  have  their  outings  during  the  open  season 
tell  of  many  a  day's  tramp  with  not  a  single  shot  at  a 
flying  white  tail. 

The  Habits  of  Deer 

Like  most  birds  and  animals,  deer  are  not  migra- 
tory, but  confine  themselves  to  special  locahties. 
Within  these  confines  no  other  deer  "dare  go  a-poach- 
ing"  except  during  the  mating  season,  when  the  bucks 
run  wild.  In  their  own  territory  they  have  paths 
and  runways  through  brush  and  over  fallen  dead 
wood  to  favorite  feeding  grounds  and  springs.  If 
they  are  where  food,  water,  and  ground  for  lying  down 
are  near  together,  and  it  is  timber  land,  their  daily 
range  is  seldom  over  half  a  mile  in  any  direction,  and 
if  open  ground,  seldom  over  a  mile.  If  their  food, 
water,  and  lying  down  ground  are  far  apart,  they  will 
often  go  three  miles  for  food,  a  mile  from  there  for 
water  and  another  mile  in  a  different  direction  to  lie 
down,  sometimes  changing  this  range  every  day, 
sometimes  every  few  days,  and  sometimes  spending 
a  week  on  a  few  acres  of  ground,  this  change  of  range, 
however,  being  often  less  than  a  mile,  and  seldom 
over  three  miles.  In  following  a  deer,  therefore,  you 
will  always  be  within  a  range  of  three  miles  from  where 
you  started.  When  they  are  not  on  favorite  feeding 
grounds  there  is  no  place  more  certain  of  finding  them 
than  burnt  land.     Why  they  go  there  has  never  been 

126 


Deer  Yards 

satisfactorily  explained,  for  it  is  not  because  of  the 
tender  shoots  which  spring  up,  as  they  are  often  found 
there  as  soon  as  the  ground  has  cooled. 

During  the  fall  and  early  winter  they  frequent 
hard-wood  ridges  in  search  of  beechnuts  and  acorns, 
and  when  the  snow  is  too  deep  to  paw  away  or  the 
crust  breaks  through  and  cuts  their  legs,  they  herd 
in  cedar  swamps,  where  they  are  protected  from  the 
storms  and  winds — these  deer  yards,  so  called,  being 
innumerable  deer  paths,  sometimes  two  or  three  miles 
long,  crossing  and  recrossing  each  other  in  every 
direction.  Some  of  these  paths  go  to  favorite  springs, 
as  they  never  quench  their  thirst  with  snow,  and 
others  to  feeding  places  where  they  browse  upon  cedar 
boughs,  on  the  moss  hanging  from  the  branches  of 
trees,  on  the  twigs  which  are  just  above  the  snow,  on 
the  bark  of  various  trees,  particularly  basswood  and 
maple,  and  on  the  tops  of  the  trees  which  have  fallen 
in  the  tangle  of  the  swamp.  When  the  snow  begins 
to  disappear  in  the  early  spring  they  again  make  for 
the  south  side  of  the  hard-wood  ridges  for  nuts,  and 
when  new  grass  shows  itself,  they  feed  on  this  until 
the  buds  appear  on  the  trees,  when  they  gradually 
work  their  way  into  the  valleys  nearer  the  streams  and 
ponds,  in  summer  time  feeding  where  succulent  roots 
of  lily  pads  and  other  aquatic  plants  are.  To  these 
places  they  love  to  go  at  dusk  to  escape  the  flies,  and 
to  splash  and  paddle  in  the  water,  in  the  middle  of 
the  day  resting  in  shady  nooks  in  the  forests. 

In  the  spring  the  doe  generally  gives  birth  to  two 
fawns,  with  which  she  remains  during  the  summer. 

127 


The  Mating  Season 

In  the  early  fall  when  the  ''running  season"  begins 
the  bucks,  early  in  the  morning  and  late  in  the  after- 
noon, begin  to  follow  the  does,  at  first  on  a  walk 
with  heads  down,  but  as  the  season  advances  and 
their  ardor  increases,  following  them  at  all  times  of 
the  day  with  a  half-walk  and  a  half-trot,  varied  at 
times  with  a  clumsy  gallop  very  different  from  their 
usual  graceful  canter.  During  the  height  of  the  sea- 
son it  is  no  uncommon  thing  for  a  doe  to  be  pursued 
by  three  or  four  bucks  a  short  distance  apart,  the 
largest  buck  heading  the  procession.  It  is  at  these 
times  that  the  bucks  battle  with  each  other,  and  then 
there  is  an  elevation  of  hair  and  a  clattering  of  horns 
which  is  interesting  to  watch  if  one  can  keep  his  finger 
off  the  trigger  long  enough  to  see  it  through.  After 
the  mating  season,  which  begins  in  September  or 
October  and  generally  ends  in  the  early  part  of  De- 
cember, the  bucks  and  does  forage  by  themselves, 
often  two  bucks  being  seen  together,  often  two  does 
and  often  the  fawns  of  a  doe.  At  this  time  they  are 
found  along  tote  roads  and  at  abandoned  lumber 
camps  or  in  grassy  openings  among  the  trees,  or  far- 
ther back  in  the  thicker  woods  nearer  the  foot  hills, 
going  only  to  the  streams  and  ponds  for  water;  some- 
times, in  the  early  winter  before  the  snow  gets  deep, 
staying  near  a  lumber  camp,  where  they  browse  at 
night  on  the  tree  tops  felled  by  the  loggers  during  the 
day. 

In  rainy,  snowy,  or  cold,  blustering  weather  they 
spend  the  greater  part  of  the  day  in  some  brush 
patch,  windfall,  sheltered  ravine  or  gulch,  where  they 

128 


The  Food  of  Deer 

stand  most  of  the  time  with  their  heads  down.  When 
a  storm  is  coming  they  seem  to  know  it,  sometimes  a 
day  ahead,  by  some  sort  of  instinct  or  perhaps  because 
of  the  sensitiveness  of  their  sense  of  smell,  and  prepare 
for  it  by  filling  their  stomachs  with  food.  At  these 
times  they  are  uneasy  and  continually  on  the  move  and 
if  it  is  a  heavy  storm  they  get  into  a  thickly  wooded 
swamp,  where  they  he  down  under  a  tree  having  low 
branches  or  under  brush;  and  stay  there  until  the 
storm  is  over  or  hunger  drives  them  out,  these  places 
being  so  small  that  only  a  practised  eye  can  detect 
them. 

As  they  are  browsing  animals  and  Uve  on  buds, 
twigs,  and  the  leaves  of  a  variety  of  shrubs  and  trees, 
they  care  little  for  grass,  although  when  it  is  young 
and  tender  and  the  browse  is  old  and  tough  they  eat 
it,  but  never  sun-dried  grass — the  nuts  which  they 
care  for  being  chestnuts,  beech  nuts,  and  acorns, 
which  they  begin  to  feed  on  as  soon  as  they  fall,  often 
changing  their  ranges  to  be  near  them. 

In  many  ways  they  are  hke  domestic  cattle.  They 
chew  their  cuds  in  the  same  way,  but  mihke  them  they 
feed  only  for  a  few  minutes  at  a  time,  and  then  look 
around  to  see  if  anything  is  approaching.  The  sound 
of  falling  branches  and  other  natural  sounds  of  the 
forests  they  pay  no  attention  to,  but  if  they  hear  any 
unusual  sound  they  twitch  their  ears  nervously  and 
hold  them  forward  hke  trumpets.  If  a  twig  snaps 
they  immediately  look  for  danger,  their  eyes,  ears, 
and  nose  at  once  questioning  the  sound;  and  if  they 
begin  to  swing  their  heads  you  may  be  sure  that  they 

129 


The  Feeding  Time 

have  become  suspicious  and  are  ready  to  break  for 
cover. 

As  a  rule  they  feed  in  the  early  morning  and  again 
just  before  dusk,  except  during  stormy  weather,  when 
they  feed  as  soon  as  it  clears  away.  Although  they 
are  often  on  the  move  at  night  they  seldom  feed  at 
this  time  imless  there  is  a  moon,  and  if  they  are  in 
a  section  not  frequented  by  sportsmen  they  feed  dur- 
ing the  night  and  day.  If,  however  it  is  a  country 
much  shot  over,  they  do  little  feeding  during  the  tlay 
when  there  is  a  moon,  but  "follow  the  moon,"  be- 
ginning to  feed  soon  after  dusk  when  the  moon  rises 
early,  and  lie  quietly  in  some  grassy  opening  in  the 
woods  during  the  day. 

Still  Hunting  Deer 

Next  to  the  fascination  of  hunting  wild  animals 
in  which  there  is  an  element  of  danger,  comes  the 
fascination  of  still  hunting  deer.  This  is  the  most 
scientific  of  all  hunting,  as  in  this  game  of  checkers 
the  sportsman  has  to  make  moves  on  the  checker- 
board, which  will  checkmate  an  animal  whose  scent, 
sight,  and  hearing  are  far  superior  to  his  own.  It 
is,  therefore,  no  one-sided  game,  and  the  man  who 
thinks  that  a  deer  is  a  creature  of  dense  stupidity 
has  only  to  try  to  get  the  best  of  one  of  these  animals 
by  some  trick  to  find  out  that  he  can  play  the  same 
trick  only  once.  As  city  folk,  however,  have  few 
opportunities  of  learning  the  ways  of  the  woods,  still 
hunting  is  largely  confined  to  backwoodsmen  and 
frontiersmen. 

130 


A  Yarn 

Did  you  ever  "drive"  an  island  upon  which  you 
had  just  seen  a  deer  land?  You  will  remember  you 
were  stationed  at  the  lower  end  ready  for  a  shot  as 
soon  as  the  deer  should  jump- into  the  water;  that  as 
you  sat  in  your  canoe  hidden  among  the  bushes,  the 
noise  made  by  the  guides  coming  down  the  island 
sounded  like  a  hurricane,  and  that  suddenly  Mr.  deer 
was  seen  quietly  swimming  for  the  mainland  at  the 
end  of  the  island  from  which  the  guides  had  started, 
having  watched  from  behind  some  boulder  their 
manoeuvres. 

We  know,  too,  that  a  deer  does  not  lack  in  cun- 
ning. We  know  that  when  followed  he  will  often 
circle  back  to  the  leeward  of  his  trail,  where  he  can 
scent  or  see  approaching  danger  as  it  goes  by,  and 
that  when  we  reach  the  place  far  ahead  where  he 
turned  back,  he  will  be  miles  away  in  the  opposite 
direction.  We  also  know  that  a  deer  surprised  in 
the  open  will  keep  a  tree  or  a  boulder  in  the  Hne  of 
fire  imtil  he  is  safe  in  a  thick  growth. 

Perhaps  you  will  not  believe  the  story  which  one 
of  my  guides  tells  of  his  experience  in  still  hunting, 
as  you  may  not  know  Fred,  but  I  have  hunted  with 
him  for  years,  have  never  seen  him  under  the  influence 
of  liquor,  and  have  always  found  him  truthful.  As 
Fred  tells  it,  he  was  following  a  deer  on  the  snow 
along  a  hard-wood  ridge,  when  he  came  to  a  place 
where  the  deer  had  circled  back  and  gone  down  into 
the  valley.  Here  Fred  was  able  to  get  a  shot  at 
him  as  he  ran  up  the  valley,  but  did  not  hit  him. 
Being  a  quick  thinker  and  believing  the  deer  would 

131 


The  Real  Still  Hunter 

probably  double  on  him  again  and  make  for  the  next 
hard-wood  ridge,  he  stopped  following  the  trail  and 
cut  across  the  valley  to  the  other  ridge.  It  is  this 
part  of  the  story  which  has  a  briny  taste,  for  Fred 
will  make  an  affidavit  that,  as  he  was  going  around 
a  large  boulder  on  the  top  of  this  second  ridge,  where 
he  intended  to  hide,  the  deer  was  coming  with  a 
rush  around  the  other  side  of  the  same  boulder,  ap- 
parently intending  to  hide  there  also.  ''He  was 
coming  fast  and  was  on  the  jump  just  as  I  was," 
said  Fred,  "and  as  I  had  already  fired  at  him,  when 
I  saw  him  I'll  swear  to  God  I  thought  it  was  his 
ghost  sure."  When  I  asked  Fred  what  happened 
he  said  the  deer  jumped  over  him,  and  made  for  a 
growth  of  pines  in  the  valley  beyond,  and  when  I 
asked  him  why  he  didn't  shoot  him,  he  looked  foofish 
and  said,  "For  a  minute  I  didn't  know  where  I 
dropped  my  gun."  Of  course,  it  was  a  careless  thing 
to  do.  This  story  I  believe,  as  Fred  has  long  been 
a  guide  of  mine,  and  I  have  summered  and  wintered 
with  him. 

Although  deer  stalking,  as  our  English  cousins 
call  it,  is  fascinating  sport,  we  know,  when  we  come  to 
analyze  it,  that  it  is  not  the  game  of  checkers,  after 
all,  which  makes  us  love  the  sport — that  the  owner 
of  a  gun  who  cares  nothing  for  the  woods  if  he  does 
not  get  all  the  game  he  wants  is  not  a  real  sports- 
man, and  never  a  still  hunter.  The  man,  however, 
who,  when  once  in  the  solitude  of  the  forests,  finds 
that  the  time  passes  quickly  while  waiting  on  some 
feeding  ground,  or  who,  because  he  is  a  nature  stu- 

132 


The  Time  for  Still  Hunting 

dent,  lets  his  shooting  get  tucked  away  in  a  corner 
of  his  thoughts,  is  the  one  to  whom  still  hunting  is  a 
pleasure,  for  the  secret  of  this  kind  of  hunting  is  not 
wholly  hearing  the  sharp  breaking  of  a  twig  which 
makes  one  quiver  with  restrained  excitement,  or  the 
rush  of  a  deer  through  the  undergrowth  which  makes 


% 


Rocky  Mountain  Blacktail 

one's  heart  beat  quicker,  but  the  something  about  the 
woods  which  has  added  to  his  cahbre  as  a  man. 

When  to  Still  Hunt 

Although  you  may  know  the  habits  of  deer  and 
when  and  where  to  look  for  them,  you  will  find  that 
there  will  be  many  a  miss  and  many  a  spell  of  hating 
yourself  before  your  vacation  is  over. 

The  best  time  for  still  hunting  is  in  the  early 
133 


The  Month  for  Still  Hunting 

morning,  as  deer  are  up  and  about  at  daybreak.  If 
there  is  a  moon  it  is  also  a  good  time  for  still  hunt- 
ing late  in  the  afternoon,  as  the  deer,  having  rested 
through  the  day,  are  then  beginning  to  move  toward 
their  feeding  grounds.  Just  after  a  rain  is  another 
good  time,  as  they  are  then  roaming  about  to  get 
warm,  especially  does  with  their  fawns,  or  just  before 
a  storm,  as  they  are  then  restless  and  wandering  from 
one  place  to  another.  During  stormy  weather  it 
makes  no  difference  when  you  go,  if  you  hunt  for 
them  in  cedar  swamps.  Just  after  the  first  snow- 
storm is  also  a  good  time,  as  you  can  easily  see  their 
tracks;  this  kind  of  still  hunting  has  a  fascination 
pecuUar  to  itself,  as  there  is  always  the  expectation 
of  coming  upon  your  deer  at  every  turn  you  make, 
and  every  time  you  go  over  a  ridge. 

The  best  month  for  still  hunting  is  November, 
and  the  best  part  of  the  month  is  during  "the  dark 
of  the  moon,"  for  then  they  only  feed  during  the  day. 
During  this  month  the  bucks  are  roaming  about  and 
the  does  are  trying  to  escape  them,  and  as  the  leaves 
are  now  off  the  trees,  one  gets  a  better  shot ;  the  ideal 
time  being  just  after  a  rain  when  the  leaves  have  be- 
come so  wet  that  you  make  little  noise  in  moving 
about — an  especially  good  time  being  when  a  strong 
wind  is  blowing  and  dead  branches  are  falling,  for 
at  such  times  deer  will  not  notice  the  twigs  wliich 
you  break  under  your  feet. 


134 


Suggestions  About  Still  Hunting 

Always  wear  moccasins  when  still  hunting. 

Remember  that  weather  conditions  have  much 
to  do  in  carrying  scent  and  sound;  that  during  heavy, 
foggy,  or  muggy  weather,  or  on  a  warm,  cloudy  day 
after  a  rain,  there  is  Uttle  air  stirring,  and  scent  and 
sound  are  not  carried  far. 

Remember  that  on  a  still,  warm  day  in  the  au- 
tumn, when  you  can  hear  a  squirrel  scamper  over 
dead  leaves  a  hundred  yards  away,  you  might  as  well 
stay  at  home. 

See  the  Deer  First         ;     '      ' 

Remember  that  the  most  important  thing  is  see- 
ing the  deer  before  he  sees  you.  This,  more  than 
anything  else,  is  the  secret  of  success,  and.  there  is 
nothing  so  hard  to  do. 

Remember  that  in  a  country  much  hunted  over, 
a  deer's  sense  of  hearing  becomes  more  acute  than 
his  other  senses,  and  that  this  is  what  makes  it  so 
difficult  to  approach  him.  Even  when  the  leaves 
and  twigs  have  been  softened  by  a  long  rain  the  faint, 
crushing  sound  of  your  moccasins  will  reach  his  ears 
for  a  longer  distance  than  you  think  possible,  espe- 
cially if  he  happens  to  be  lying  down  so  that  he  gets 
the  sound  as  it  is  carried  along  the  ground. 

Remember  that  a  deer  is  not  particularly  quick 
in  recognizing  a  motionless  object,  and,  if  not  alarmed, 
will  not  distinguish  a  man  from  a  stump  if  the  man 
is  seated  and  does  not  move.  When,  therefore,  your 
guide  is  driving  a  deer  toward  you  it  is  not  necessary 

135 


Where  Deer  are  Found 

to  conceal  yourself  if  you  keep  quiet,  but  be  careful 
not  to  change  your  position  for  a  better  shot. 

Remember  that  the  direction  from  wliich  a  noise 
comes  is  often  perplex  ng  to  a  deer,  and  that  his 
curiosity  to  know  its  exact  location  often  makes  him 
stop  after  a  few  jumps  and  look  back. 

Remember  that  against  the  wind  he  cannot  hear 
as  well  as  down  wind,  but  even  up  wind  you  should 
never  relax  in  caution,  especially  as  there  is  no  need 
of  haste. 

Remember  that  a  deer  loves  covert  and  will  have 
it,  that  he  loves  browse  and  will  have  it,  that  he 
loves  ground  more  or  less  rough,  and  will  only  be 
found  away  from  it  when  there  is  better  food  and 
covert  somewhere  else. 

Remember  that  the  best  territory  to  hunt  over 
is  where  the  ground  is  rolling  enough  for  you  to  keep 
out  of  sight  behind  ridges  and  look  down  into  hollows 
and  valleys;  where  the  timber  is  open  enough  for 
you  to  see  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards  in  any  direction; 
and  where  there  is  not  so  much  underbrush  that  you 
cannot  move  about  without  touching  too  much  of  it. 
Such  places  are  generally  in  hard -wood  timber  growths 
where  there  are  acorns  and  beechnuts  in  abundance, 
plenty  of  windfalls,  and  brush  enough  for  lying  down 
coverts  for  the  deer  in  the  daytime. 

Remember  that  there  is  a  difference  between  the 
lying  down  places  of  deer  at  night  and  the  lying  down 
places  during  the  day;  that  at  night  they  will  lie 
almost  anywhere,  but  in  the  daytime,  if  they  are 
being  hunted,  they  seldom  lie  down  near  their  feeding 

136 


Deer  Licks 

ground  or  watering  places,  or  where  there  is  not  a 
good  view  of  the  surroundings. 

As  deer  are  fond  of  salt,  sportsmen  often  make 
salt  licks,  by  placing  handfuls  of  salt  on  the  ground 
or  in  the  hollows  of  logs,  and  then  make  a  circuit  of 
these  places. 

It  is  always  good  judgment  to  keep  the  sun  at 
your  back,  when  it  is  possible,  so  that  it  will  shine 
full  on  the  deer's  coat  and  catch  your  eye  more 
quickly  than  if  the  sun  were  shining  in  your  face. 

If  you  are  in  a  clearing  never  sit  on  a  stump  or  a 
boulder,  but  lean  against  some  tree,  where  a  deer 
would  not  be  so  apt  to  see  you. 

If  your  guide  is  with  you  and  you  are  behind  him, 
carry  your  gun  with  the  stock  forward,  and  if  you 
are  ahead  carry  it  with  the  muzzle  forward.  He  will 
not  then  have  to  be  wondering  whether  your  gun  is 
half-cocked  or  not. 

Not  only  deer  but  all  wild  animals  grow  uneasy  at 
the  sound  of  the  human  voice.  Do  not,  therefore, 
talk  even  in  a  whisper. 

If  you  intend  to  hunt  along  a  tote  road  go  along 
that  part  of  the  road  which  has  the  wind  blowing 
toward  you.  If  the  wind  is  blowing  toward  the  deer 
he  will  know  you  are  coming  long  before  you  can 
get  within  range.  Be  careful  not  to  step  on  dry 
twigs  or  hit  a  rolling  stone,  as  a  deer  will  get  out  of 
the  way  if  he  hears  anything  unusual.  Get  your 
toes  in  between  the  twigs  if  they  are  thick,  and  keep 
your  heel  off  the  ground  where  there  are  stones. 

At  each  bend  in  the  road  and  at  every  rise  go 
137 


Scent  from  Your  Body 

cautiously.  Keep  your  gun  out  of  sight,  and  only 
let  your  head  be  exposed  while  you  are  looking  the 
ground  over. 

In  looking  over  the  top  of  a  ridge  inspect  the 
ground  layer  by  layer,  beginning  with  the  ridge  be- 
yond, and  running  your  eye  gradually  down  into  the 
valley.  ,  • 

As  a  deer  does  not  pose  for  a  sculptor  or  an  ani- 
mal painter,  don't  look  for  his  outline  but  for  spots 
and  patches  of  light  gray,  dark  gray,  or  brown.  Never 
mind  their  shape. 

As  a  deer,  on  account  of  the  brush  and  under- 
growth which  surrounds  him,  does  not  stand  half 
as  high  in  the  woods  as  in  a  park,  look  low  for  him. 

Glance  at  all  open  places  among  the  trees,  as 
deer  like  grassy  spots.  By  stooping  down  and  look- 
ing under  the  thick  branches  you  will  get  a  better 
view. . 

Don't  look  too  far  ahead,  as  deer  are  inquisitive 
creatures.  They  are  apt  to  be  much  nearer  than  you 
imagine,  and  unless  they  scent  you  they  will  often 
stand  and  watch  to  see  what  is  coming. 

See  if  the  buds  have  been  bitten  from  the  lower 
branches  of  the  trees,  or  if  a  buck  has  rubbed  the 
bark  off  with  his  horns. 

Don't  make  the  mistake  of  covering  too  much 
ground  during  a  day's  tramp.  You  will  be  more  apt 
to  get  a  shot  by  going  slowly  and  cautiously. 

Don't  rush.  Remember  that  the  scent  of  your 
body  comes  through  the  pores  of  your  skin,  and  that 
the  more  the  pores  are  open  the  stronger  the  scent  is. 

138 


The  Whistle  of  a  Deer 

The  less,  therefore,  that  you  perspire  the  less  Uabihty 
is  there  that  a  deer  will  scent  you. 

In  brushing  against  twigs  and  bushes  ease  them 
off  with  your  hand,  so  that  they  will  not  scrape  on 
your  clothing,  snap,  or  make  a  switching  noise  in 
flying  back. 

When  lying  in  wait  for  a  deer  at  a  favorite  drink- 
ing place,  don't  watch  the  drinking  place  but  the 
ground  beyond,  as  a  deer  always  looks  the  ground 
over  before  he  goes  to  drink. 

Don't  look  for  deer  on  hard-wood  ridges  after  ten 
o'clock,  as  they  will  then  be  lying  down  in  some  bushy 
place,  or  among  windfalls,  or  in  some  "slash"  where 
lumbermen  have  left  tree  tops  and  branches,  among 
which  briers  and  bushes  have  grown  up. 

Never  lie  in  wait  for  a  deer  on  a  runway.  If  they 
are  so  plenty  that  it  is  worth  your  while  watcMng 
a  runway  it  is  better  to  keep  in  motion. 

Never  hunt  in  the  same  place  two  successive  days. 
If  you  have  started  a  deer  the  chances  are  that  he  will 
not  go  near  the  place  again  for  several  days. 

If  you  are  following  a  deer,  you  will  find  that 
after  his  first  run  he  will  stop  every  little  while  to 
see  if  you  are  still  following,  or  he  will  circle  to  the 
leeward  of  his  tracks  to  scent  you  or  to  watch  you 
from  behind  some  bush  or  boulder. 

If  you  cannot  tell  from  a  deer's  track  in  which 
direction  he  has  gone,  try  to  make  out  the  imprint 
of  his  dew  claws,  and  this  will  settle  the  question  for 
you. 

Remember  that  a  deer  will  seldom  whistle  if  he 
139 


The  Snort  of  a  Deer 

sees  you.  If  he  makes  a  short,  quick  whistle  with 
every  jump  it  means  that  he  does  not  see  you,  but  feels 
that  he  is  in  danger,  and  whistles  to  ease  his  feelings 
and  warn  other  deer.  If  the  whistle  is  husky  and 
long  drawn  out,  and  at  irregular  intervals,  it  means 
that  he  has  scented  or  heard  something  which  he 
does  not  understand  and  cannot  locate  the  direction. 

Remember  that  the  blow  or  snort  of  a  deer  means 
nothing,  that  sometimes  he  snorts  when  he  is  sus- 
picious of  danger,  and  sometimes  because  he  feels 
particularly  active.  At  other  times  under  the  same 
conditions  he  makes  no  noise. 

Remember  that  a  deer  in  the  winter  time  is  quite 
certain  to  lie  in  the  sun,  in  the  summer  time  in  the 
shade,  and  in  the  autumn  to  lie  in  the  sun  in  the  cool 
part  of  the  morning,  and  in  the  shade  when  it  becomes 
warmer. 

Remember  that  a  deer  is  a  creature  of  elegant 
leisure,  that  after  feeding  a  while  he  generally  lounges 
about  with  all  the  deliberate  ease  of  an  aristocrat; 
that  he  then  surveys  the  landscape,  then  scratches 
his  ear  with  one  foot,  then  wiggles  his  tail,  then  stands 
still  for  a  while,  sometimes  close  to  a  succulent  bush 
without  touching  it,  and  then  moves  on  by  easy  stages, 
nibbling  a  twig  here  and  there. 

When  in  Sight  of  a  Deer 

When  you  bring  your  rifle  to  your  shoulder,  don't 
get  your  eye  on  the  sights  until  you  know  what  you 
are  shooting  at.  Make  up  your  mind  that  it  is  a 
man  until  you  are  sure  that  it  is  a  deer.     By  making 

140 


The  Tonguing  of  a  Deer 

this  a  rule  you  may  prevent  the  accidental  shooting  of 
some  sportsman,  who,  unknown  to  you,  is  hunting 
over  the  same  territory. 

Remember  that  the  scent  of  man  makes  a  deer 
far  more  uneasy  than  if  he  sees  or  hears  him.  There- 
fore, always  get  to  the  leeward  of  him.  If  you  can- 
not tell  in  which  direction  the  wind  is  blowing,  moisten- 
your  finger  in  your  mouth,  and  when  you  hold  it  up, 
the  cool  side  will  be  toward  the  wind. 

Sometimes  when  a  deer  sees  you  he  will  not  run 
until  you  stop  moving,  and  sometimes  when  you  stop 
walking  he  will  not  run  until  you  start  again.  In 
other  words,  it  is  doing  something  suddenly  which 
often  starts  him  off.  For  this  reason  many  hunters 
bring  their  guns  up  to  their  shoulders  slowly. 

If  a  deer  appears  uneasy,  don't  move,  but  give 
him  time  to  get  over  his  suspicions. 

If  you  see  a  deer  pawing  the  ground  it  is  probably 
a  buck,  as  a  doe  seldom  does  this  unless  she  is  pawing 
for  food. 

If  a  deer  keeps  tonguing  his  nostrils,  like  a  cow, 
you  may  be  sure  he  has  become  suspicious  and  is 
moistening  them  to  get  a  scent. 

If  his  tail  comes  up  and  his  head  turns,  make  up 
your  mind  that  he  is  getting  ready  to  run,  and  that 
his  eye  is  glancing  in  the  direction  in  which  he  is 
going  to  make  a  break. 

If  his  tail  is  down  and  wiggling  nervously  it  is  a 
sure  sign  that  he  scents  danger. 

If  you  start  a  deer  don't  stop  to  think  it  over,  but 
send  some  lead  after  him,  even  if  you  think  you  are 

141 


Where  to  Hit  a  Deer 

going  to  miss  him.  If  you  can  see  his  white  tail 
there  is  an  opening  through  the  branches  for  a  rifie 
bullet. 

If  you  are  a  novice  at  the  sport  you  will  be  apt, 
when  you  get  your  first  shot,  to  forget  the  breech- 
sight  and  fire  as  soon  as  the  muzzle-sight  is  on 
him. 

If  the  deer  is  running  through  thick  woods  swing 
your  gun  ahead  into  an  opening,  and  fire  when  he 
crosses  the  sights.  Remember  that  if  he  is  going 
at  a  forty  clip,  or  is  some  distance  away,  you  will  be 
very  apt  to  shoot  behind  him  if  you  do  not  fire  ahead 
of  him. 

Remember  that  a  deer  at  full  speed  generally  hugs 
the  ground  like  a  hare,  and  that  you  are  Uable  to  fire 
too  high. 

If  you  have  to  shoot  at  a  deer  when  he  is  higher 
up  than  you  are,  keep  in  mind  that  you  will  be  apt 
to  shoot  over  him,  as  the  angle  at  which  you  hold 
your  rifle  gives  the  bullet  an  upward  flight.  Curi- 
ously enough,  you  are  also  apt  to  do  the  same  thing 
on  a  downhill  shot,  because  at  this  time  you  will 
catch  too  much  of  the  front  sight.  With  such  shots 
aim  not  more  than  a  third  of  the  way  up  from  the 
lower  part  of  the  body. 

If  you  have  time  to  get  a  bead  on  a  deer  never  aim 
for  the  middle  of  the  body.  A  deer  which  is  hit  any- 
where from  three  inches  back  of  the  shoulder  to  the 
hip,  unless  the  backbone  or  kidneys  are  touched,  wiU 
run  for  miles  before  he  drops,  and  will  often  bleed 
internally  and  leave  no  track.    The  place  to  hit  him 

142 


When  a  Deer  is  Hit 

is  just  back  of  the  fore  shoulder,  where  the  heart  is. 
If  you  cannot  get  a  shot  there,  aim  at  the  hip.  If  he 
is  facing  you  and  you  only  see  the  front  of  his  body, 
aim  just  above  the  forelegs,  where  the  "sticking 
point"  is. 

Don't  aim  too  high  up.  If  the  deer  is  hit  in  the 
upper  part  of  the  body  the  blood  will  fill  the  limg 
cavity  before  it  flows  out,  and  the  deer  may  run  a 
long  distance  before  there  is  any  blood  on  the  ground. 
Even  when  shot  through  the  heart  he  will  often  run 
sevferal  hundred  feet  before  he  drops.  Remember 
that  the  worst  of  all  shots,  and  the  one  usually  made 
when  the  deer  is  running  crosswise,  is  a  paunch  shot, 
or  a  shot  between  the  fifth  rib  and  the  hip  joint.  If 
the  deer  is  hit  there  he  will  run  for  miles  and  you  will 
probably  lose  him. 

If,  when  you  fire,  you  will  watch  the  deer  closely, 
you  will  notice  if  he  is  hit  that  he  will  shrug  his  shoul- 
ders and  draw  his  body  up  before  he  starts  to  run. 

If  he  hugs  his  tail  down  when  he  runs  you  may  be 
sure  he  is  hit.  If  he  does  not  do  this,  however,  it  is 
no  sign  that  he  is  not  hit,  for  a  deer  which  is  hit  will 
often  cock  his  tail  up  and  go  out  of  sight  as  if  he  were 
simply  hurrying  away  on  business.  Most  sportsmen 
and  many  guides  will  tell  you  that  this  is  not  so,  but 
do  not  believe  them. 

Remember  that  as  soon  as  a  deer  is  shot  he  fills 
his  lungs  with  air  and  runs  until  the  air  is  exhausted, 
even  if  fatally  wounded. 

Pump  a  fresh  cartridge  into  your  rifle  barrel  while 
the  report  of  your  first  shot  is  in  the  air,  as  the  deer 

143 


When  a  Wounded  Deer  Runs 

may  not  run  far,  and  you  may  get  another  shot  if  he 
does  not  hear  the  cHck  of  the  breech-block. 

The  first  thing  to  do  when  a  deer  is  wounded  is 
to  do  nothing.  After  you  have  fired  see  if  you  can 
find  any  blood,  and  if  you  do  then  sit  down  and  have 
a  smoke.  If  you  do  not  follow  him  he  will  soon  lie 
down,  and  the  more  the  wound  pains  him  the  more 
careless  he  will  be  of  your  approach  later.  If  you 
find  no  blood  where  the  deer  stood  don't  give  it  up  as 
a  miss,  but  look  the  ground  over  in  a  circle. 

If  a  deer  runs  any  distance  and  then  falls,  you 
may  be  pretty  certain  he  is  dead.  But  be  sure  he 
has  fallen  and  not  lain  down,  for  if  this  is  the  case  you 
may  need  all  your  skill  to  get  him.  If  he  falls  and 
then  gets  up  and  runs  it  also  means  that  you  will 
have  hard  work  to  get  him.  If  he  falls  and  then 
struggles  to  rise,  get  to  him  as  soon  as  you  can,  for 
even  if  mortally  wounded  he  may  get  away.  Do 
not,  however,  let  him  see  you  running  toward  him 
if  you  can  avoid  it,  as  this  will  often  revive  him. 

Remember  that  a  deer  seldom  runs  at  race  horse 
speed,  but  takes  springing  jumps.  It  is,  however, 
a  much  faster  gait  than  it  looks  and  the  bullet  goes 
much  slower  than  you  suppose.  If  he  is  in  the  open, 
catch  him  as  he  strikes  the  ground  at  the  end  of  a 
jump,  and  if  you  have  time,  keep  the  rifle  on  him 
during  several  bounds  until  you  get  the  swing  of  the 
jumps,  and  then  fire  ahead  where  he  will  next  strike 
the  ground.  To  get  the  right  distance  ahead  and 
to  pull  at  the  right  time  is  a  pretty  operation.  A 
miss  is  never  to  be  laughed  at  and  a  hit  will  give 

144 


When  Paddling  Toward  a  Deer 

you  something  to  chuckle  over  later.  If  he  is  run- 
ning low  or  running  fast  pay  no  attention  to  the 
jumps,  but  aim  ahead  and  fire  about  the  height  his 
knees  are  when  he  is  in  the  air.  With  such  a  shot 
you  ought  to  be  perfectly  satisfied  if  you  hit  him  at 
all,  and  although  you  may  have  a  lofty  calm,  inside 
there  will  be  quivers  of  self-satisfied  excitement. 

Don't  let  a  deer  fool  you  by  dropping  his  head  be- 
hind a  log.  Although  his  back  may  look  Uke  a  log, 
you  will  be  able  to  see  enough  of  his  white  tail  to 
recognize  it. 

If  a  deer  does  not  see  you,  and  does  not  have  the 
wind  to  give  him  a  scent,  he  is  often  unable  to  locate 
the  place  from  which  you  fired.  If,  therefore,  you 
do  not  show  yourself  you  can  frequently  get  a  second 
shot,  as  he  is  apt  to  get  confused,  not  knowing  in 
which  direction  to  rim. 

Remember  that  a  deer  is  marvellously  quick  in 
seeing  a  motion,  and  can  detect  a  very  slight  one  as 
well  as  a  very  slow  one.  He  will  see  almost  instantly 
the  slow  rising  of  your  head  above  a  ridge  or  the  slow 
movement  of  your  body  across  the  trunk  of  a  tree, 
unless  the  motion  happens  to  be  made  while  his  head 
is  down.  Don't,  therefore,  even  wink  when  a  deer  is 
looking  toward  you. 

If  you  are  paddUng  toward  a  deer,  and  he  has 
scented  you  before  you  get  within  firing  distance,  let 
the  canoe  drift.  If  you  do  not  move  it  will  often  hap- 
pen that  a  deer,  when  he  sees  no  motion,  will  not  be 
able  to  locate  the  danger  even  after  he  has  scented  it. 

Remember  that  sometimes,  when  the  wind  is  ap- 
145 


When  You  Lose  a  Deer 

parently  blowing  toward  a  deer,  the  contour  of  the 
ground  is  such  that  there  is  an  undercurrent  of  air 
blowing  from  the  deer  toward  you,  which  prevents 
him  scenting  you,  and  that  sometimes,  too,  there  are 
cross  currents  of  air  which  carry  away  the  scent.  It 
is  because  of  such  conditions  that  a  sportsman  is 
often  puzzled  to  imderstand  why  a  deer  does  not 
scent  him. 

If  a  deer  is  feeding  on  Uly-pad  roots  and  is  deep 
in  the  nmd,  he  will  often  take  chances  rather  than 
move,  as  it  is  difficult  for  him  to  get  his  legs  out  of 
the  mire.  If  he  does  start  he  will  go  slowly  at  first, 
but  when  he  gets  well  out  he  will  bolt  for  the  woods 
as  if  fired  from  a  catapult. 

If  you  lose  a  deer  make  it  a  rule  to  study  out  how 
you  lost  him.  It  may  take  a  little  time  at  first,  but 
in  the  end  it  will  repay  you.  An  analysis  of  your 
errors  will  be  far  more  beneficial  to  you  than  an 
analysis  of  what  you  have  done  correctly. 

Don't  forget  that  it  only  takes  one  deer  to  make  a 
good  many  tracks  when  alive  and  a  good  many  deer 
stories  after  you  have  shot  him. 

After  the  Killing 

Although  it  is  considered  good  form  to  cut  the 
throat  of  a  deer  with  a  hunting  knife,  the  only  hunt- 
ing knife  you  really  need  is  a  good-sized  jack-knife. 
If  the  deer  is  dead  when  you  reach  him  there  is  no 
necessity  of  cutting  his  throat,  as  animals  bleed  only 
a  trifle  from  the  throat  after  death,  and  a  deer  will 
bleed  all  that  is  necessary  when  you  take  out  his  en- 

146 


The  Carcass  of  a  Deer 

trails.  If  you  are  still  following  another  deer,  stick 
him  in  the  chest  and  leave  him  with  his  head  lower 
than  his  body  until  you  return. 

If  the  entrails  are  not  drawn  soon  after  the  deer  is 
killed  the  carcass  will  puff  up  on  account  of  the  gases 
which  the  entrails  generate;  as  flies  at  once  deposit 
their  eggs  in  a  decaying  carcass,  which  begin  to  hatch 
within  twelve  hours  after  being  deposited,  the  carcass 
soon  gets  fly-blown  and  spoils. 

To  keep  the  carcass  from  being  eaten  by  other 
animals  cover  it  with  brush  or  snow  or  put  some 
article  of  clothing  upon  it,  as  this  makes  them  sus- 
pect a  trap.  Another  way  is  to  blow  up  the  bladder 
and  hang  it  over  the  carcass. 

If  the  deer  is  too  large  to  pack  back  to  camp,  or 
you  are  too  jolly  lazy  to  try  it,  put  a  strong  stick  be- 
tween the  gambrel  joints  of  his  hind  legs,  and  after 
bending  down  a  good-sized,  springy  sapling,  by 
climbing  into  it,  make  it  fast  to  the  stick  in  the  gam- 
brels.  When  the  sapling  springs  back  lean  a  long, 
forked  stick  against  it,  and  with  another  forked  stick 
Uft  the  sapling  as  far  as  you  can,  at  the  same  time 
pressing  against  the  first  stick.  When  you  have 
lifted  the  deer  as  far  as  you  can  in  this  way  put  one 
of  the  sticks  on  the  other  side  of  the  carcass.  You 
are  now  ready  to  go  back  to  camp  and  report 
progress. 

If  you  do  not  care  for  the  skin  and  only  want  the 
deer  meat,  cut  off  the  head  and  neck,  then  cut  off 
the  fore  quarters,  and  put  them  inside  the  carcass  and 
fasten  the  ends  together  with  twigs.     You  will  find 

149 


A  Yarn 

that  you  can  now  easily  drag  the  carcass  over  the 
ground  by  the  hind  legs. 

As  you  stand  in  front  of  the  camp  fire  in  the  even- 
ing and  rub  your  legs  with  your  hands,  you  will  be 
sure  to  touch  up  many  of  the  incidents  which  went 
with  the  killing.  This  generally  sets  the  ball  rolling, 
and  before  it  is  time  to  turn  in,  the  others  will  have 
yarns  to  tell  of  good  shots  which  they  have  made. 
I  remember  a  story  which  my  guide,  Sumner,  once 
told.  He  was  a  sure  shot,  and  one  evening  when 
we  were  yarning  it  he  said,  in  his  modest  way:  "The 
best  shooting  I  ever  done  was  when  I  shot  the  four 
legs  off  a  buck  with  a  forty-four  carbine,  one  of 
the  seventy-three  models,  you  know.  I  had  a  par- 
son with  me  and  he'll  tell  you  it's  the  gospel  truth. 
It  happened  this  way.  The  parson  and  I  had  been 
out  hunting  all  day  long,  and  late  in  the  afternoon 
he  kind  of  intimated  that  I  was  working  him  for  three 
dollars  for  guiding.  If  he  hadn't  been  a  parson  I'd 
have  told  him  to  go  to  the  devil  and  gone  back  to 
camp,  but  I  says  to  myself,  says  I,  'This  man  doesn't 
know  enough  to  break  the  Sabbath,  and  I'll  git  him 
tangled  up  in  a  cedar  swamp,  and  when  he's  good 
and  hungry  and  lets  out  the  first  cuss  word,  I'll  tell 
him  he's  no  better  as  a  parson  than  I  am  as  a  guide.' 
As  luck  would  have  it,  as  I  was  coming  along,  you 
know,  heading  for  a  swamp  near  there,  I  saw  a  deer 
hiding  behind  a  big  fallen  pine.  The  tree  was  about 
two  feet  off  the  ground  and  all  you  could  see  was 
the  deer's  four  legs,  so  I  crouches  down  to  git  at  him 
fair. 

150 


A  Yarn 

"'What  are  you  firing  at?'  says  the  parson,  for 
he  was  watching  the  outfit  and  didn't  know  enough 
not  to  talk. 

"'Partridges,'  says  I,  after  I  had  sniped  off  one 
of  the  deer's  hind  legs  and  was  throwing  another 
cartridge  in  the  barrel. 

"'Did  you  hit  him?'  says  the  parson,  just  as  if  he 
was  everybody. 

"'No,'  says  I,  and  when  the  deer  came  down 
after  his  first  jump  I  sniped  off  the  other  hind  leg, 
for  I  had  gauged  the  jump  all  right.  With  his  two 
hind  legs  broken  he  wasn't  very  swift,  and  when  he 
landed  agin  I  had  a  bead  on  his  front  legs  and  made 
another  good  shot. 

"'Why  doesn't  the  bird  fly?'  says  the  parson. 

"'I've  shot  off  his  wings  and  he  can't,'  says  I,  and 
then  off  went  the  other  front  leg.  Of  course,  I  don't 
tell  this  to  brag  about  it,  but  if  I  do  say  it,  it  was 
good  shooting." 

Then  one  of  us  asked,  "What  did  the  minister  say 
when  he  saw  it  was  a  deer?" 

"That's  the  funny  part  of  it,"  Sumner  answered, 
a  little  embarrassed,  "for  I'll  be  gosh-darned,  when 
we  gits  up  to  the  log  there  was  no  deer  there.  But 
the  parson  will  tell  you  how  I  told  him  that  the  deer 
must  have  sprinted  off  on  four  stubs." 

We  asked  Sumner  how  he  knew  it  was  a  buck  if 
only  his  legs  showed,  and  Sumner,  after  looking  at  us 
as  if  we  were  crowding  him,  finally  said,  "I  saw  the 
horns  when  he  jumped." 


151 


CHAPTER    XI 


SOME    MOOSE    THAT    I    KNOW    ABOUT 

It  will  only  be  a  question  of  time  before  you  will 
want  a  shot  at  a  moose,  as  he  is  the  largest  of  the 
deer  family  and  often  weighs  fifteen  hundred  pounds. 

I  remember  how  a  guide 
once  enthused  me  into  go- 
ing with  him  into  a  moose 
country.  "  I  was  all  alone 
up  there,"  he  said, "  tramp- 
ing through  the  woods  aft- 
er game,  and  one  noon  was 
cleaning  some  fish  on  the 
shore  of  a  little  pond  when, 
the  devil  take  it!  I  looked 
up  and  saw  a  small  island 
covered  with  a  lot  of  dead 
trees  turn  round  and  move  off.  That  island.  Mister, 
was  a  moose  cooling  off  in  the  water." 

In  color  the  moose  varies  from  blackish  brown  to 
black,  and  because  of  the  length  of  his  long,  yellowish 
gray  legs  he  stands  higher  than  a  horse.  His  hair 
is  bristly  and  coarse,  being  longest  on  the  neck  and 
shoulders.     In  appearance  he  is  an  uncouth-looking 

152 


A  Love  Call 


The  Habits  of  Moose 

animal,  owing  to  the  size  of  his  large,  ugly,  overhang- 
ing nose,  his  long,  waving  ears,  his  short  neck,  nar- 
row head,  long  legs,  and  stumpy  tail.  The  bulls  have 
wide-spreading  antlers,  which  are  sometimes  six  feet 
from  tip  to  tip,  short  manes  on  their  necks  and  shoul- 
ders, and  pouches,  known  as  bells,  hanging  from 
their  throats.  Both  sexes  have  under  their  throats 
tufts  of  coarse,  bristling  hair  a  foot  or  more  in  length. 

These  animals  are  only  found  deep  in  the  Northern 
woods  and  seldom  venture  into  treeless  plains;  wild 
forests,  far  away  from  tote  roads  and  logging  camps, 
being  places  where  they  thrive.  In  a  general  way 
they  have  the  characteristics  and  habits  of  the  deer, 
but  without  the  same  intelligence.  Their  favorite 
haunts  are  hard-wood  ridges,  and  like  deer  they  yard 
in  winter,  but  even  in  deep  snow  their  long  legs  carry 
them  at  a  pace  which  will  astonish  one  who  tries  to 
run  them  down  on  snowshoes.  From  spring  until 
snow  comes  they  stalk  the  woods  like  giants,  and 
when  alarmed  travel  at  a  swinging  trot  with  the  speed 
of  a  locomotive,  through  undergrowth  and  over  fallen 
branches  which  make  a  crackUng  sound  like  falHng 
trees,  and  as  much  noise  as  a  side-wheel  steamer. 

They  browse  on  twigs,  but  live  for  the  most  part 
on  ground  hemlocks,  on  the  tops  of  young  trees,  and 
on  the  bark  of  larger  ones;  their  favorite  diet  being 
the  bark  of  poplars,  white  maple,  and  moose  wood, 
which  they  strip  off,  as  clean  as  if  it  had  been  done 
with  a  carpenter's  shave,  by  running  their  teeth  up 
the  trunk.  To  reach  the  tops  of  saplings  they  rear 
up  against  them  and  ride  them  down,   straddling 

153 


The  Mating  Season 

them  with  their  long  legs  while  they  eat  the  young 
branches  and  leaves.  The  tender  shoots  of  birch, 
hemlock,  alder,  willow,  and  maple  are  also  favorite 
foods.  They  are  also  fond  of  ground  mosses  and 
lichens,  which  cover  the  roots  and  stumps  in  the 
swamps  and  lowlands,  and  eat  more  or  less  grass, 
but  to  get  at  these  they  are  obhged  to  kneel  because 
of  their  long  legs. 

When  the  cold  weather  comes  they  seek  shelter 
in  thickets  deep  in  the  woods,  and  here  in  their  yards 
live  on  young  poplars,  maples,  and  birches.  In  the 
spring  they  leave  their  yards  for  the  waterways,  fre- 
quenting quiet,  tree-bordered  ponds  and  streams  for 
their  summer  food  of  lily  pads,  lily  roots,  and  other 
aquatic  plants,  as  well  as  to  get  rid  of  flies  which, 
during  the  summer  months,  are  a  great  pest  to  them — 
generally  staying  in  one  locality  as  long  as  the  food 
lasts.  As  they  are  bulky  and  heavy  they  often  get 
mired,  and  at  such  times,  as  it  is  difficult  for  them  to 
get  out,  they  will  often  stand  and  watch  you.  Only 
when  they  see  that  you  are  coming  too  near  will  they 
start  to  leave,  going  slowly  until  they  get  a  soUd  foot- 
ing, when  they  break  for  the  woods. 

From  September  until  the  middle  of  December 
the  bull  moose  is  in  prime  condition,  and  tears  through 
the  woods,  bellowing  his  challenge  to  all  animals 
which  roam  the  forests.  In  this  mating  season  fierce 
fights  are  common  between  rival  buUs,  both  comba- 
tants frequently  falHng  with  their  antlers  locked  in 
a  death  struggle.  The  bull  moose  is  now  sometimes 
a  savage  animal  to  meet,  and  unless  the  hunter  is 

154 


^ 


Calling  a  Moose 

cool-headed  and  a  good  shot  it  is  good  judgment  not 
to  meddle  with  him.  During  the  fall  and  early  winter 
they  shed  their  antlers,  new  ones  growing  each  spring, 
but  unlike  the  antlers  of  the  deer,  these  come  out 
from  the  side  of  the  head  instead  of  on  the  top,  and 
by  the  first  of  October,  when  these  horns  are  full 
grown,  they  are  broad  and  flattened,  hard  and  sharp. 

The  cow  moose,  like  the  doe  deer,  gives  birth  to  her 
young  in  the  spring,  generally  not  later  than  June. 
At  this  time  she  gets  into  some  forest  or  thicket  bor- 
dering a  pond  or  stream,  where  the  calf  feeds  on  the 
underbrush  and  the  mother  on  the  aquatic  plants 
which  border  the  water.  Unlike  the  doe  deer,  the 
cow  moose  generally  gives  birth  to  but  one  calf  at  a 
time,  although  after  the  first  birth  she  sometimes 
brings  forth  two.  These  are  long-legged,  ungainly, 
tawny-colored  creatures,  which  stay  with  the  mother 
until  they  are  able  to  take  care  of  themselves,  or  find 
mates.  Like  the  doe,  the  cow  has  no  antlers,  but 
defends  herself  with  her  sharp  hoofs,  which  she  uses 
with  the  skill  of  a  prize  fighter,  being  able  to  trample 
to  death  the  largest  of  bears. 

Except  in  the  rutting  season  moose  are  very  wary 
and  timid,  their  sense  of  smell  being  so  acute  that 
it  is  difficult  to  approach  them,  and  although  they 
are  hunted  the  same  as  deer,  there  are  ways  of  getting 
a  shot  at  them  which  deer  hunters  do  not  have.  One 
way  is  to  imitate,  through  a  cone-shaped  horn  made 
of  birch  bark,  the  call  which  a  cow  moose  makes  to 
attract  a  bull.  This  call  is  a  series  of  low  wails,  hke 
the  mooing  of  a  cow,  which  ends  with  a  long,  drawn- 

157 


Firing  at  a  Moose 

out  grunt,  the  bull  answering  it  with  several  loud 
roars  or  grunts  of  satisfaction  at  the  thought  of  find- 
ing a  mate.  As  this  calUng  is  done  at  night  the  bull 
sometimes  gives  no  warning  of  his  approach  until 
he  is  on  the  spot.  Another  way  of  calling  a  bull  is 
to  imitate  a  noise  which  he  makes  during  the  mating 
season,  by  snapping  his  jaws  together  several  times 
in  succession,  called  chopping.  As  this  sound  is  like 
the  sound  of  wood  being  chopped  at  a  distance,  old 
hunters  imitate  it  by  rapping  on  a  partly  hollow  tree 
with  the  broad  side  of  an  axe,  which,  as  it  often  makes 
a  bull  imagine  another  bull  is  in  his  territory,  brings 
him  to  the  spot.  The  common  way  of  hunting  a 
moose,  however,  is  to  follow  his  tracks,  which  gener- 
ally can  be  distinctly  seen.  But  remember  that  it  is 
an  old  moose  trick,  when  he  knows  he  is  being  followed, 
to  circle  back  to  the  leeward  of  his  trail,  and  then, 
hidden  from  view,  to  he  down  near  enough  the  trail 
to  hear  or  smell  you  as  you  go  by.  The  result  is  that 
when  you  reach  the  place  far  ahead  where  he  turned 
back  he  will  be  miles  away,  plunging  along  down 
wind  at  a  race-horse  pace. 

Remember  that  as  soon  as  a  moose  scents  you  he 
will  run  a  short  distance  and  then  stop.  Therefore, 
rush  at  once  in  the  direction  from  which  the  noise 
comes,  while  the  moose  is  running,  and  then  creep 
along  cautiously. 

Remember  when  firing  at  a  moose  to  take  aim  at 
some  particular  spot  as  a  target,  otherwise  the  sights 
will  not  be  ranged  and  the  bullet  may  fly  wild. 

As  a  moose  often  does  not  change  his  gait  when 
158 


When  a  Moose  is  Hit 

he  is  shot  except  for  a  second's  pause,  watch  him 
closely  as  soon  as  you  fire,  otherwise  you  will  not 
know  whether  you  have  hit  him  or  not. 

If  a  moose  falls  backward  on  his  haunches  you 
may  be  sure  he  is  mortally  wounded,  as  he  differs  in 
this  respect  from  a  deer,  which  falls  forward  when  hit 
in  a  vital  spot. 


Shot  with  a  Camera 


159 


CHAPTER    XII 


SOME    GEESE    AND    DUCKS   THAT    FLEW  AWAY 

There  is  so  much  to  write  about  geese  and  ducks 
that  one  is  tempted  to  turn  the  throttle  on  too  far. 
They  both  belong  to  the  same  family  and  are  equally 

at  home  in  the  tropics 
and  on  the  borders  of  the 
Arctic  Ocean.  Because 
their  oiled  feathers  protect 
the  down  underneath,  they 
can  endure  the  most  se- 
vere arctic  temperature. 
During  the  summer  they 
migrate  to  the  north,  where 
they  raise  their  young, 
and  in  the  winter  go  south. 
Being  nocturnal  in  their 
habits  they  generally  fly  at  night,  and  during  these 
migrations,  which  are  usually  at  the  same  time  each 
year  irrespective  of  weather,  they  spend  weeks  and 
sometimes  months  at  favorite  feeding  grounds  on  the 
way,  passing  the  day  on  the  water  far  from  the  shore 
if  disturbed,  and  visiting  their  feeding  grounds  only 
at  night. 

160 


Seasoning 


Geese 

Geese  are  found  throughout  North  America,  and 
are  divided  into  eleven  varieties,  the  most  common 
variety  being  the  Canada  goose.  Its  head  and  neck 
is  black,  with  a  triangular  white  patch  on  each  cheek, 
these  two  patches  generally  meeting  under  the  throat, 
although  they  are  sometimes  separated  by  a  black 
line.  The  upper  part  of  the  body  is  black,  the 
black  fading  into  the  white  of  the  under  part  of  the 
body.  Their  flight  is  swift,  and  commonly  in  the 
shape  of  a  V  or  a  triangle,  although  they  sometimes 
spread  out  into  a  crescent  with  the  rounded  part  for- 
ward, in  muggy  or  foggy  weather  or  when  snow  is  fall- 
ing often  flying  so  low  that  they  almost  touch  the 
reeds  and  grasses  of  the  marshes.  Their  alertness  and 
wariness  are  proverbial,  and  when  feeding  or  resting 
they  always  have  one  of  their  number  on  watch.  They 
are  gregarious  birds,  and  when  flying,  if  they  see  other 
geese  in  the  water  generally  lower  their  flight  and  join 
them  after  making  one  or  two  circles.  For  this  reason 
they  can  often  be  called  to  decoys,  especially  when 
one  or  two  birds  are  flying  alone. 

In  the  duck  family  there  are  thirty-nine  well- 
known  varieties,  which  are  divided  into  fresh-water 
ducks,  or  those  which  feed  on  seeds,  grasses-and  roots 
picked  up  from  the  bottom  or  margins  of  the  rivers 
and  ponds;  diving  or  sea  ducks,  or  those  which  feed 
on  shell-fish,  many  of  them  diving  for  their  food  into 
water  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  deep,  and  the  mer- 
gansers or  fish  ducks,  or  those  which  feed  on  small 
fish,  which  they  get  by  swimming  after  them  under 
water. 

161 


Fresh-Water  or  Non-Diving  Ducks 

Of  fresh-water  ducks  five  varieties  are  well  known 
to  gunners. 

The  mallard,  which  is  the  most  common  variety, 
is  rarely  found  on  salt  water  and  is  not  a  common  bird 
in  New  England.  In  the  northern  interior  they  are 
shot  from  early  October  until  the  waters  freeze  over 
in  November,  and  during  the  winter  are  found  in 
large  numbers  in  the  south.  In  the  autumn,  winter 
and  spring  they  resemble  in  color  domestic  ducks, 
which  belong  to  the  same  family.  Their  heads  and 
necks  are  brilliant  green,  sometimes  showing  golden 
and  purple  reflections,  and  below  this  green  is  a  nar- 
row ring  of  white.  The  back  is  brown,  finely  waved 
with  grayish  white,  the  breast  glossy  chestnut,  and 
the  under  part  of  the  body  gray  waved  with  narrow 
black  hues.  They  rise  from  the  water  with  a  single 
spring,  almost  straight  in  the  air,  uttering  loud  quacks 
of  alarm  as  they  rise,  and  then  fly  upward  at  a  sharp 
angle  until  they  reach  a  height  of  thirty  or  forty  feet. 
As  their  attention  is  readily  attracted  by  imitating 
their  cry  of  alarm,  gunners  use  it  in  getting  them  to 
light  near  decoys. 

The  Blach  Duck 

The  black  or  mottled  duck  is  similar  to  a  mallard, 
but  is  different  in  color,  being  blackish  brown,  with 
each  feather  tipped  with  a  hghter  brown  marking 
which  gives  it  a  mottled  appearance.  They  are  not 
common  in  the  interior,  but  are  the  most  common 
fresh-water  duck  of  Canada,  New  Brunswick,  Nova 
Scotia  and  the  New  England  coast.     They  generally 

162 


Green-Winged  Teal 

breed  north  of  the  United  States,  although  in  mild 
winters  they  often  remain  throughout  the  season  in 
northern  New  England,  their  nests  being  usually  on 
the  ground  concealed  in  high  grasses  and  rushes.  Al- 
though they  feed  almost  wholly  in  fresh  water  they 
by  no  means  avoid  the  sea.  In  the  New  England 
States  they  often  spend  the  day  on  the  salt  water,  and 
feed  during  the  night  on  the  inland  streams,  swamps 
and  marshes,  where,  especially  when  there  is  a  moon, 
their  cries  are  often  heard.  As  many  gunners  believe 
that  their  sense  of  smell  is  particularly  acute,  they 
never  attempt  to  approach  them  down  wind. 

The  green-winged  teal  is  found  over  the  whole  of 
North  America,  and  next  to  the  wood  duck  is  the 
most  beautiful  of  all  our  ducks.  Although  a  water 
fowl,  and  a  good  diver  when  in  danger,  it  is  equally 
at  home  on  land,  its  nest  usually  being  not  far  from 
the  water  in  high  grass  and  sometimes  on  the  top 
of  a  ridge.  The  head  and  neck  of  the  male  adult  is 
reddish  chestnut,  with  a  broad  band  of  metalhc  green 
on  each  side,  running  from  the  eye  to  the  back  of  the 
neck,  where  the  two  meet  in  a  tuft.  The  breast  is  a 
reddish  cream  color  dotted  with  round  or  oval  spots 
of  jet  black.  The  back  of  the  neck  and  body  have 
black  Hnes  upon  a  white  ground,  and  the  upper  wings 
are  black  and  green  margined  with  white.  The  fe- 
male is  brownish,  the  feathers  being  generally  mar- 
gined with  buff,  the  breast  more  or  less  spotted,  and 
the  sides  of  the  breast  whitish  speckled  with  brown. 
They  fly  with  astonishing  speed  and  great  steadiness, 
the  flock  often  being  of  great  size,  and  they  fly  so 

163 


Blue-Winged  Teal 

closely  bunched  that  they  resemble  a  flock  of  black 
birds  more  than  ducks.  At  such  times  if  they  become 
alarmed,  they  separate  like  an  exploding  bomb,  dart- 
ing in  every  direction  at  a  speed  that  takes  quick 
shooting  to  hit  them.  If,  however,  you  can  fire  into 
the  bunch  the  havoc  will  often  bring  down  a  dozen 
birds  at  a  single  shot. 

The  blue-winged  teal,  which  is  a  little  larger  than 
the  green-winged  teal,  is  probably  the  most  common 
of  the  smaller  ducks  of  the  United  States  and  Canada. 
As  they  usually  arrive  in  the  latter  part  of  August 
or  early  September  they  are  often  called  smnmer  teal. 
If  the  winter  is  mild  they  remain  throughout  the  year 
in  northern  United  States  and  Canada,  where  they 
are  found  on  the  flats  sifting  the  mud  for  food.  The 
top  of  the  head  of  the  male  adult  is  black  and  the  rest 
of  the  head  a  dark  lead  color,  with  a  white  crescent- 
shaped  band  edged  with  black  which  runs  from  the 
forehead  to  below  the  bill.  The  upper  part  of  the 
body  is  dark  brown  and  dull  black,  barred  and 
streaked  with  buff,  and  the  lower  part  a  dull  brown. 
The  smaller  wings  and  some  of  the  larger  shoulder 
feathers  are  sky  blue,  the  secondary  wings  green,  with 
a  bar  of  white  and  then  a  bar  of  blue  fringed  with 
white  The  female,  which  is  also  known  by  its  blue 
markings,  is  frequently  without  the  brilliant  green 
marking  of  the  male,  and  sometimes  has  a  white 
marking  on  the  throat  which  runs  up  under  the  bill. 
They  often  breed  in  northern  New  England  and  on  the 
prairies  of  the  Central  States,  their  nests  being  usually 
on  the  ground,  and  generally,  but  not  always,  near  the 

164 


Wood  Ducks 

water,  the  mother  lining  the  nest  with  down  and 
covering  the  eggs  with  down  and  grass  when  she 
leaves  it.  They  travel  in  large  flocks,  the  speed  with 
which  they  go  and  the  closeness  with  which  they 
huddle  being  well  known  to  gunners;  and  when  swim- 
ming they  are  often  so  close  together  that  they  nearly 
touch  each  other.  They  readily  come  to  decoys, 
and  can  be  attracted  by  a  soft,  lisping  note  which 
they  sometimes  make  when  flying.  When  alarmed 
they  leave  the  water  like  mallards  and  black  ducks, 
and  then  dart  away  in  every  direction,  coming  together 
later  in  a  close  bunch. 

The  wood  duck,  which  is  the  most  beautiful  of  all 
our  ducks,  is  a  bird  of  swamps  and  small  inland  waters, 
and  one  of  the  few  species  which  make  their  nests  in 
trees,  the  nests  generally  being  in  hollow  trunks,  al- 
though these  birds  sometimes  take  possession  of  holes 
made  by  large  woodpeckers.  They  are  perfectly  at 
home  in  the  woods,  and  fly  among  the  tree  tops  at 
great  speed.  The  head  and  the  long,  thick  crest  of 
the  male  adult  are  green  and  purple  with  brilliant  me- 
talUc  reflections.  On  the  head  a  narrow  line  of  white 
starts  at  the  base  of  the  bill,  and  passing  over  the  eye 
runs  along  the  crest,  another  line  starting  behind  the 
eye,  which  also  runs  into  the  crest.  The  throat  and 
upper  neck  is  white,  from  which  a  white  line  goes  up 
behind  the  eyes  and  another  to  the  back  of  the  neck. 
The  lower  neck  and  breast  is  a  rich  chestnut  glossed 
with  purple,  and  dotted  in  front  with  triangular  spots 
of  white.  The  back  is  purplish  black  with  glossy 
reflections.    On  the  side  of  the  breast,  just  in  front 

165 


Canvas-Back  Ducks 

of  the  wing,  is  a  broad  white  bar,  and  behind  it  a 
bar  of  black.  The  bill  is  deep  red,  with  a  black  spot 
near  its  base  and  a  white  spot  on  the  side,  and  the 
eye  is  a  bright  carmine  red.  The  female  is  generally 
gray  or  greenish  gray,  with  markings  in  a  general  way 
like  those  of  the  male.  When  the  young  are  hatched, 
if  the  nest  is  over  the  water,  the  young  birds  crawl  to 
the  edge  of  their  nest  and  throw  themselves  into  the 
water;  otherwise  the  mother  carries  them  to  the  water 
in  her  bill. 

Deep-Water  or  Diving  Ducks 

Diving  ducks,  or  those  which  get  their  food  in 
deep  water,  are  larger  than  the  shoal-water  ducks, 
and  as  their  legs  are  set  well  back  on  the  body  they 
move  with  difficulty  on  land,  although  this  position 
of  the  legs  assists  them  in  swimming  and  diving. 
During  the  day  they  generally  stay  where  there  are 
wide  stretches  of  open  water  and  at  dusk  go  to  their 
feeding  grounds,  where  they  sometimes  feed  well  into 
the  morning. 

The  canvas-back,  the  most  common  deep-water 
duck,  is  among  the  swiftest  fliers  of  all  ducks,  and 
is  found  in  great  numbers  on  the  Virginia  and  Carolina 
coasts,  but  rarely  in  New  England.  The  top  of  the 
head  of  the  male  adult  is  black  and  the  rest  of  the  head 
and  neck  a  reddish  brown.  The  lower  neck,  forehead 
and  upper  breast  are  black,  the  back,  lower  breast, 
and  imder  part  of  the  body  white,  and  the  tail  black, 
the  female  having  those  parts  brown  which  in  the 
male  are  reddish  brown  and  black. 

166 


Black-Head  Ducks 

The  red-head  duck  is  found  both  on  the  Atlantic 
and  Pacific  coasts  and  in  the  interior.  They  are 
often  mistaken  for  the  canvas-backs,  which  they 
closely  resemble  except  on  the  head  and  neck,  which 
in  the  male  adult  is  a  bright,  reddish  chestnut  often 
glossed  with  coppery  reflections,  and  in  the  female 
brownish,  with  the  forehead  and  the  sides  of  the  head 
almost  white.  They  readily  come  to  decoys  and 
when  about  to  ahght  crowd  close  together.  When 
wounded  they  swim  long  distances  under  water,  and 
on  coming  to  the  surface  often  show  only  such  a 
small  part  of  their  bills  that  it  is  difficult  to  detect 
them. 

The  broad-bill  or  blue-bill  duck,  which  receives 
its  name  from  the  pale,  bluish  lead  color  of  its  bill, 
is  found  throughout  North  America  and  as  far  south 
as  Central  America.  The  head,  neck  and  breast  of 
the  atlult  male  are  black,  the  upper  part  of  the  body 
brownish,  and  the  under  part  white.  Along  the  New 
England  coast,  where  they  feed  to  a  large  extent  on 
shell-fish,  the  flesh  is  not  good  eating,  but  farther 
south,  where  they  live  largely  on  vegetable  food,  they 
make  a  most  excellent  table  dish. 

The  httle  black-head  duck,  which  can  readily  be 
distinguished  by  its  small  size,  is  similar  to  the  broad- 
bill  duck,  the  two  species  at  one  time  being  classed 
together.  They  frequent  the  coast  between  New 
England  and  Florida,  and  are  foimd  in  large  num- 
bers in  the  interior.  They  are  swift  ffiers  and 
expert  divers,  are  adepts  in  skulking  and  hiding,  and 
are  as  much  at  home  in  shoal  water  as  in  deep  water, 

167 


Coots 

often  being  found  along  the  edges  of  marshes  with 
fresh-water  ducks. 

The  eider  duck  is  found  on  both  the  Atlantic  and 
Pacific  coasts,  and  during  the  winter  time  frequents 
the  New  England  coast  in  large  numbers.  The  top 
of  the  head  of  the  male  adult  of  the  common  eider  is 
a  deep  black,  the  upper  part  of  the  body,  neck  and 
breast  whife,  and  the  under  part  of  the  body  black, 
the  female  being  a  reddish  brown  color  generally 
barred  with  black.  They  are  deep-sea  feeders,  and 
hve  chiefly  on  small  fish,  which  they  often  bring  up 
from  great  depths.  They  are  often  found  with  coots, 
and  when  they  rise  from  the  water  flap  along  on  the 
surface  for  some  distance  in  the  same  way.  On  account 
of  the  food  which  they  eat  the  flesh  is  fishy  and  strong. 

The  ruddy  duck  is  a  small  duck  and  one  of  the 
most  unsuspicious  of  all  ducks.  It  is  found  through- 
out North  America,  and  as  far  south  as  northern  South 
America.  On  the  male  adult  the  crown  of  the  head 
and  the  back  of  the  neck  are  black  and  the  sides  of 
the  head  white.  The  upper  part  of  the  body  is  green- 
ish-brown flecked  with  a  paler  brown,  and  the  under 
part  silvery  white,  the  female  being  much  duller  in 
color.  When  rising  from  the  water  they  take  a  long 
time  to  get  into  their  flight,  but  after  they  have 
started  are  strong  fliers. 

The  American  scoter  or  coot  can  be  distinguished 
by  its  curiously  swollen  bill,  which  is  more  or  less 
hollow  on  the  sides  and  highly  colored.  It  is  an  ex- 
ceedingly tough  bird  and  hard  to  kill,  and  because  it 
feeds  almost  exclusively  on  small  shell-fish  the  flesh 

168 


White-Winged  Coots 

is  not  palatable,  unless  parboiled  before  being  cooked. 
It  is  found  on  both  coasts  of  North  America,  as  well 
as  on  many  of  the  inland  lakes.  On  the  adult  male 
the  plumage  is  deep  black.  The  base  of  the  bill  is 
much  enlarged,  and  of  a  bright  orange  color.  On  the 
female  the  plumage  is  a  dark  grayish  brown,  and  the 
bill  black.  They  reach  New  England  from  the  north 
late  in  September,  and  often  remain  there  during  the 
winter  if  it  is  an  open  one,  taking  their  departure  again 
for  the  north  in  April  and  May. 

The  velvet-scoter  or  white-winged  coot,  is  one  of 
the  most  common  of  sea  ducks.  It  has  the  same 
haunts  as  the  American  scoter,  and  on  the  New  Eng- 
land coast  is  generally  found  with  them  and  eider 
ducks.  Like  the  American  scoter  it  has  the  same 
black  plumage,  but  differs  in  having  a  small  white 
spot  behind  the  eye,  a  strip  of  white  on  the  wings, 
and  a  prominent  knob  on  the  top  of  the  bill  near  its 
base.  Like  the  American  scoter  they  feed  almost 
exclusively  on  small  shell-fish. 

Fish  Ducks 

These  ducks  are  distinguished  from  the  non- 
diving  ducks  by  their  narrow  and  rounded  bills. 
They  have  handsome  plumage,  and  their  crests, 
which  in  some  of  the  males  are  very  large,  are  very 
striking.  As  they  feed  almost  entirely  on  small  fish 
which  they  get  by  diving,  their  flesh  is  too  strongly 
flavored  to  be  palatable.  They  are  widely  distributed 
over  North  America,  and  are  among  the  last  to  go 
south  in  the  autumn. 

169 


Merganser  Ducks 

The  American  merganser  is  found  along  both 
coasts  of  North  America,  and  on  many  of  the  inland 
lakes,  where  they  often  remain  during  the  entire  win- 
ter, when  the  season  is  open.  The  head  and  upper 
neck  of  the  male  adult  is  greenish  black  with  brilhant 
metallic  reflections.  The  back  is  black,  fading  into 
ashy  gray.  The  larger  part  of  the  wings,  the  under 
part  of  the  body,  and  the  breast  are  white,  and  in  the 
female  the  head  and  neck  are  reddish  brown. 

The  red-breasted  merganser  or  sheldrake,  is  large 
and  hardy,  and  does  not  go  south  until  late  in  the 
autumn.  They  are  swift  of  flight  and  when  ready  to 
alight  do  not  stop  their  speed,  but  throw  themselves 
breast  down  on  to  the  water  and  slide  for  some  dis- 
tance. The  head  of  the  male  adult  is  greenish  black, 
with  metallic  reflections  of  violet  and  purple.  Around 
the  neck  is  a  white  collar,  the  lower  neck  and  breast 
being  a  pale  purplish  brown.  The  back  is  grayish, 
waved  with  black  and  white,  the  under  part  of  the 
body  white,  and  the  wings  crossed  with  black  bars. 
The  female  is  reddish  brown  on  the  top  of  the  head, 
and  has  a  white  patch  on  the  wings. 

The  hooded  merganser  is  distinguished  by  its 
hood-like  head  and  is  the  most  striking  in  appearance . 
of  all  ducks.  They  do  not  confine  themselves  to  the 
ocean  but  are  found  in  all  parts  of  North  America, 
their  nests  often  being  in  hollow  trees,  hned  with 
leaves  and  down.  They  are  swift  fliers,  expert  swim- 
mers and  divers,  and  being  unsuspicious  birds  readily 
come  to  decoys. 


170 


About  Shooting  Geese  and  Ducks 

Remember  that  knowing  how  to  hold  on  geese 
and  ducks,  and  when  to  pull  the  trigger  is  one  of 
the  most  difficult  kinds  of  bird  shooting,  and  al- 
though blue-bills,  black-heads,  canvas-backs  and  red- 
heads are  the  swiftest  fliers  of  all  ducks,  you  will  find 
that  all  geese  and  ducks  fly  fast  enough  to  puzzle  any 
but  the  most  experienced  sportsmen. 

If  you  will  notice  where  your  shot  strikes  the 
water  when  you  are  shooting  at  geese  and  ducks  flying 
low  over  a  pond,  you  will  learn  what  distance  ahead 
to  shoot. 

Remember  that  old  sportsmen  are  never  afraid  of 
holding  too  far  ahead,  but  are  always  afraid  that  they 
will  shoot  behind  the  bird. 

Remember  that  geese  are  the  most  deceptive 
birds  for  an  inexperienced  gunner  to  hit,  as  they  are 
so  large  that  one  is  apt  not  to  take  a  close  aim.  Their 
flight,  too,  is  much  swifter  than  one  imagines. 

The  Best  Time  for  Geese  and  Ducks 

The  best  time  to  shoot  geese  and  ducks  is  in  Oc- 
tober and  November  when  the  moon  is  up,  or  at  day- 
break or  dusk  when  a  strong  wind  is  blowing. 

The  best  place  to  find  them  is  along  the  edges  of 
marshes,  or  in  coves  which  are  sheltered  by  woods. 

Always  approach  them,  if  possible,  against  the 
wind,  and  creep  up  so  slowly  and  quietly  that  they 
cannot  hear  or  see  you. 

Remember  that  sand  and  gravel  are  as  necessary 
to  them  as  their  food,  and  that  they  go  to  some  sand 
bar,  which  is  often  in  some  exposed  place,  each  morn- 

173 


Feeding  Grounds 

ing  and  late  each  afternoon.  If,  therefore,  you  find 
where  they  gravel,  go  there  before  they  arrive  and 
lie  in  wait  for  them. 

Remember  that  they  generally  go  to  their  feeding 
ground  about  daybreak;  that  about  ten  o'clock  they 
go  to  some  open  water  to  wash  and  sleep;  that  they 
again  go  to  their  feeding  ground  about  four  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon  and  they  return  to  the  open  water 
about  dusk. 

Remember  that  in  flying  to  and  from  their  feed- 
ing and  gravelling  grounds  they  always  go  by  the 
same  route  and  at  practically  the  same  time  each  day. 
It  is  therefore  better  to  spend  your  time  finding  these 
favorite  places,  and  learning  their  routes  of  flight, 
than  to  wait  for  them  at  bhnds  and  decoys. 

Remember  that  when  they  are  feeding,  gravelHng, 
or  asleep  with  their  heads  under  their  wings  there  is 
always  a  sentinel  on  watch,  and  that  in  sneaking  on 
to  a  gaggle  of  geese  the  old  gander  which  talks  bass 
is  the  one  which  gives  you  away. 

Remember  that  if  you  get  a  goose  cornered  in  a 
cove  where  it  is  difficult  for  him  to  fly  he  will  dive  like 
a  duck.     Do  not,  therefore,  try  to  get  too  close  to  him. 

Remember  that  a  duck  when  wounded  often 
dives  under  a  root  in  order  to  escape  and  is  drowned. 

Remember  that  most  water  birds  have  the  power 
of  so  sinking  their  bodies  that  only  their  bills  are  out 
of  water,  and  that  when  pursued  it  is  surprising  how 
fast  they  can  swim  in  this  way. 

Remember  that  you  can  always  tell  when  geese 
are  about  to  light  by  the  way  they  set  their  wings. 

174 


When  in  a  Boat 

Remember  that  there  is  a  knack  in  creeping  on 
all  fours  on  to  geese  or  ducks;  that  most  hunters, 
and  many  of  them  old  ones  at  that,  are  so  curious  to 
know  whether  they  have  alarmed  them  or  not  that 


|»,««««,.,«M.BI.^..I«.^^  -. 


Gravelling 


they  cannot  resist  raising  their  heads  as  they  crawl 
along,  which  is  almost  certain  to  start  them  off. 

In  getting  on  to  geese  and  ducks  when  in  a  boat 
do  not  follow  them  if  they  begin  to  swim  away,  but 
let  them  see  that  they ^  can  escape,  and  when  they 
stop  swimming  get  after  them  quickly,  slowing  down 
when  they  begin  to  swim  off  again. 

Remember  that  blue-winged  teals,  when  wounded, 
swim  ashore  and  hide  in  the  woods.  Remember,  too, 
that  they  are  very  keen  in  their  scent  and  cannot  be 
approached  from  the  windward. 

175 


Firing  Ahead 

As  most  geese  and  ducks  will  fly  when  they  see 
a  gunner,  keep  out  of  sight  as  much  as  possible.  With 
an  incoming  bird,  however,  do  not  do  this  if  you  will 
be  obliged  to  twist  around  and  shoot  after  the  bird 
has  passed,  for  you  will  then  be  almost  sure  of  missing 
him. 

When  shooting  at  a  quartering  bird  flying  over- 
head, shoot  before  the  bird  has  passed  or  you  will 
shoot  behind  him.  If  he  is  flying  with  the  wind  he 
will  be  going  at  such  speed  that  you  cannot  estimate 
closely  how  far  ahead  to  shoot.  If  you  miss  him  hold 
farther  ahead  the  next  time. 

To  keep  geese  and  ducks  from  spoiling  pluck  their 
feathers,  draw  the  entrails,  and  then  stuff  them  with 
charcoal  and  pepper  and  hang  them  up. 


176 


CHAPTER   XIII 


SOME    PARTRIDGES   THAT   TAUGHT  ME   A   THING 
OR   TWO 

Although  in  the  Bible  story  the  quail  sent  as  meat 
to  the  famished  is  properly  called  a  quail,  there  is  no 
such  bird  in  this  country,  as  the  American  quail,  so 

called,  according  to  the 
classification  of  ornitholo- 
gists, is  a  partridge.  By  the 
same  classification  these 
"birdologists"  also  say 
that  birch  and  spruce  par- 
tridges are  grouse,  the  only 
partridge  in  tliis  country, 
except  those  popularly 
known  as  American  quail, 
being  found  along  the  Pa- 
cific coast,  and  in  western 
Texas,  New  Mexico,  southern  Arizona,  and  on  the 
table  lands  of  Mexico.  Grouse,  therefore,  and  not 
partridges,  are  what  we  find  in  the  woods  when  we 
speak  of  partridges,  the  American  species  of  the  grouse 
family  being  the  ruffed  grouse  or  birch  partridge, 
the  dusky  grouse,  the  Canada  grouse  or  the  spruce 

177 


Guarding  the  Nest 


Habits  of  Grouse 

partridge,  the  pinnated  grouse  or  prairie  chicken, 
the  sharp-tailed  grouse,  the  cock  of  the  plains,  and  the 
ptarmigan. 

The  Ruffed  Grouse  or  Birch  Partridge 

These  birds  are  knowTi  in  New  England  as  par- 
tridges and  in  some  of  the  middle  and  southern  states 
as  pheasants.  They  are  yellowish  brown  and  gray, 
barred  with  black  on  the  head,  neck,  and  upper  part 
of  the  back  and  wings.  Their  heads  are  crested, 
with  ruffs  on  the  sides  of  the  neck  and  rudimentary 
air  sacs  on  the  lower  part,  which  are  covered  with 
soft,  glossy  feathers;  on  the  hen  grouse  these  ruffs 
being  brownish  black  with  a  slight  green  gloss,  and 
on  the  male  grouse  being  larger,  blacker,  and  glossed 
with  a  vivid  bottle  green;  on  some  of  the  larger  birds 
the  ruff  being  of  unusual  size,  and  of  a  deep  coppery 
red  color  with  violet,  green,  and  gold.  The  tail  is 
long,  broad,  rounded,  and  fan  shaped,  and  the  upper 
tail  feathers  gray,  mottled,  and  barred  with  black. 

As  a  rule  they  are  foimd  in  small  flocks,  but  in 
sections  hunted  over  only  two  are  found  together. 
They  dehght  in  upland  and  mountain  forests,  being 
particularly  fond  of  the  sloping  banks  on  the  sides 
of  brooks  and  small  streams.  They  are  also  found  in 
snarls  of  thickets,  in  dense  second  growth,  in  heavy 
woods,  in  dark  ravines  filled  with  tall  trees,  on  old 
logging  roads,  around  abandoned  lumbermen's  camps, 
and  on  deserted  farms  where  there  are  apple  trees. 
As  winter  approaches  they  are  generally  found  on  the 
sunny  side  of  hard-wood  ridges  where  there  are  beech 

178 


Young  Grouse 

trees,  and  after  winter  has  fairly  set  in  they  go  into 
the  lowlands  where  there  are  heavily  timbered  swamps 
or  tliick  growths  of  saplings,  from  here  foraging  the 
surrounding  country  and  flying  back  to  their  thicker 
covert  at  night,  or  when  alarmed.  At  this  time  they 
roost  in  the  trees,  but  when  a  heavy  fall  of  snow  comes 
they  never  hesitate  to  plunge  into  a  snowdrift,  where 
they  find  the  warmest  of  quarters.  From  spring  until 
fall  they  feed  on  acorns,  beech  nuts,  different  kinds 
of  berries,  wild  grapes,  buttercups,  clover,  grasshop- 
pers, crickets,  and  the  smaller  insects,  and  during  the 
winter  live  on  the  foliage  of  evergreens,  the  buds  of 
birches  and  other  trees,  and  sometimes  on  the  leaves 
of  alders. 

The  hen  grouse  is  a  model  mother  and  covers  her 
young  Uke  a  domestic  fowl  until  they  are  strong 
enough  to  roost  among  the  thick  leaves  upon  the 
long,  low  branches  of  hard-wood  trees.  Like  young 
turkeys,  young  grouse  cannot  stand  a  wetting,  and 
at  the  first  sign  of  rain  the  mother  gets  them  under 
her  wings,  never  heeding  a  deluge  herself,  if  they 
are  dry.  If  there  are  signs  of  approaching  danger 
she  calls  them  to  her  in  a  low  voice,  and  from  there 
they  scatter  and  hide  between  the  roots  of  trees, 
imder  leaves,  in  curls  of  birch  bark,  or  squat  on  yel- 
low chips  and  leaves,  where  they  He  so  flat  that  it  is 
almost  impossible  to  see  their  yellow  bodies,  and  only 
when  the  mother  again  calls  do  they  come  from  their 
hiding  places.  Up  to  a  certain  age  they  are  the  most 
delicate  of  all  game  birds,  but  when  they  have  run 
the  gauntlet  of  infantile  diseases  they  become  strong 

179 


Drumming 

and  rugged.  When  half-grown  they  begin  to  roost  in 
trees,  and  from  this  time  generally  tree  when  flushed. 
If  they  do  not  fly  they  stretch  themselves  to  their 
full  height  and  remain  perfectly  motionless,  and 
when  in  this  position  only  an  experienced  eye  is  able 
to  detect  them,  as  they  closely  resemble  decayed  and 
broken  stubs.  In  searching  for  a  treed  bird,  follow 
with  your  eye  the  trunk  of  the  tree  to  the  top,  as  the 
probability  is  that  the  bird  will  be  perched  near  the 
trunk.  If  you  do  not  find  him,  then  look  along  each 
branch  to  its  tip.  In  locating  him  have  your  gun 
ready  for  quick  action,  for  the  bird  seems  to  know  by 
instinct  the  instant  he  is  discovered  and  at  once  takes 
wing. 

A  peculiar  habit  of  the  male  grouse  is  the  drum- 
ming which  he  does  with  his  wings  by  beating  the  air 
with  them  as  a  challenge  to  both  sexes  that  he  is  open 
to  engagements  of  love  or  war,  or  both.  When  he 
is  ready  to  drum  he  gets  upon  some  favorite  log,  a 
stump  or  a  mossy  stone,  and  sometimes  does  it  on 
level  ground,  returning  every  day  to  this  drumming 
place  and  often  for  several  seasons.  When  ready  to 
drum  he  first  walks  up  and  down  his  drumming  log, 
peeping  this  way  and  that  to  make  sure  that  it  is 
safe  to  make  a  racket.  While  doing  this  his  feathers 
are  ruffed  up,  with  wings  half  trailing  and  tail  half 
spread.  Then  he  puffs  himself  up,  throws  back  his 
head,  lifts  his  tail  in  the  air,  and  spreads  it  out  in  a 
semicircle.  As  he  struts  about  hke  a  turkey  gobbler 
you  have  in  his  clearly  cut  profile  a  picture  for  an 
artist  in  the  graceful  pose  of  his  body  and  the  perfect 

180 


The  Tricks  of  Grouse 

poise  of  his  head.  Next  he  thrusts  his  head  forward 
to  the  full  length  of  his  neck,  closes  his  tail,  and 
lowers  it  to  a  level  with  his  back.  Then  the  wing 
beats  begin,  at  first  slow  and  measured,  soon  in- 
creasing in  rapidity  until  the  separate  beats  are  lost 
in  a  sound  like  distant  thunder  or  the  muffled  roll  of 
a  dnmi.  At  this  time  he  is  obUvious  of  everything 
but  his  own  passion,  and  because  of  this  it  is  easy  to 
get  close  to  him  if  one  moves  cautiously  and  only 
stirs  while  the  drumming  is  Vjeing  done,  for  the  in- 
stant it  ceases  he  seems  to  realize  that  he  has  been 
taking  chances,  and  if  the  sUghtest  noise  is  then 
made  no  more  drumming  will  be  heard. 

By  nature  the  ruffed  grouse  is  not  a  wily  bird, 
but  in  sections  much  shot  over  he  becomes  as  cun- 
ning as  a  fox  and  has  many  inherited  family  tricks 
to  try  if  the  occasion  requires  it.  If  he  hears  you 
coming  and  does  not  think  it  safe  to  fly  he  quietly 
hides  and  lets  you  pass;  but  if  he  flies,  although  he 
can  do  it  silently,  he  rises  with  a  whir  in  order  to  un- 
nerve you  and  to  give  other  grouse  an  opportunity 
of  sneaking  off  or  escaping  notice  by  squatting.  An- 
other well-known  trick  is  to  fly  behind  the  nearest 
tree  when  you  come  upon  him  suddenly,  and  then  to 
keep  the  tree  between  you  and  him  until  a  safe  cover 
is  reached.  Neither  does  he  forget  that  you  will 
watch  where  he  lights,  and  as  soon  as  his  feet  touch 
the  ground  he  darts  to  one  side,  a  trick,  however, 
which  he  seldom  plays  if  he  has  never  been  hunted, 
but  gives  a  twitter,  and  remains  motionless.  If  you 
suddenly  come  upon  a  mother  grouse  with  her  young 

181 


The  Flight  of  Grouse 

she  will  put  up  the  most  desperate  sort  of  a  bluff,  and 
feigning  lameness,  will  throw  herself  in  your  path, 
hoping  to  draw  your  attention  from  her  hiding  chick- 
ens. Often,  however,  a  grouse  will  show  such  a  con- 
fiding trust  that  it  astonishes  the  novice,  but  once 
the  bird  reaUzes  his  mistake  and  turns  on  the  full 
voltage,  he  rushes  for  thick  covert  in  a  flash,  and  un- 
less you  have  learned  the  trick  of  dropping  on  your 
knee  and  getting  a  gUmpse  of  liim  from  under  the 
branches  he  is  out  of  sight. 

As  the  flight  of  a  grouse  is  generally  a  headlong 
dash,  with  a  sudden,  thundering  whir  of  his  wings, 
it  never  fails  to  have  its  effect  on  even  a  veteran's 
heart,  and  plays  havoc  with  the  nerves  of  a  novice. 
There  is  no  hesitancy  about  it,  the  bird  getting  to 
his  top  speed  within  a  few  yards  of  where  he  started 
and  plunging  into  the  thickest  of  cover  Mke  a  cannon 
ball.  It  is  tills  which  makes  the  shooting  of  these 
birds  a  difficult  thing  to  do,  for  the  sudden  and  un- 
expected rise  makes  a  man  instinctively  want  to  swing 
his  gim  three  ways  at  once.  To  be  successful  one 
must  shoot  quickly  and  accurately;  must  take  in  at  a 
glance  conditions  which  vary  with  every  bird  that 
flushes,  and  must  let  the  second  barrel  bang  as  soon  as 
the  finger  can  be  shifted  to  the  other  trigger,  the  ma- 
jority of  misses  being  because  the  roaring  rise  of  the 
bird,  which  is  always  when  and  where  it  is  not  expect- 
ed, shakes  any  but  service-steadied  nerves,  and  makes 
the  man  who  pulls  the  trigger  fire  before  he  has  taken 
proper  aim.  Another  trouble  is  that,  when  the  bird 
is  flying  straight  away,  he  is  rising  and  rushing  away 

182 


Firing  at  Grouse 

at  the  same  time,  and,  because  his  broad  tail  with  its 
conspicuous  black  band  catches  the  eye,  the  gun  is 
held  on  the  tail,  which  means  a  couple  of  inches  too 
low.  With  quartering  birds  the  tail  also  helps  to 
make  a  miss,  as  it  so  increases  the  apparent  length 
of  the  bird  that  the  gunner  only  covers  the  after  part 
of  the  body  when  he  should  be  aiming  at  his  head, 
the  difference  of  these  few  inches  putting  the  bird 
outside  the  dead  zone  of  all  but  a  few  scattering 
shot.    , 

In  firing,  if  you  will  hold  well  forward,  not  one  in  a 
hundred  birds  will  be  missed  by  overleading,  for  even 
when  the  gun  is  inches  too  far  ahead  a  single  diverg- 
ing shot  will  be  fatal  because,  in  touching  any  part 
of  the  bird,  it  will  be  the  head,  the  neck,  the  region 
of  the  heart,  or  a  wing,  which  are  vital  spots. 

Suggestions  About  Shooting  Ruffed  Grouse 

Never  balk  when  a  bird  rises  close  beside  you  in 
some  thick  covert.  Shoot  anyway.  Get  into  the 
habit  of  shooting  through  all  sorts  of  stuff  if  you  can 
see  any  part  of  the  bird.  It's  dollars  to  doughnuts 
that  the  covert  which  appears  a  hopeless,  tangled 
mass  is  only  soft  leaves  and  slender  twigs,  which  your 
shot  will  plough  through.  Make  up  your  mind  that 
where  the  bird  can  go  your  shot  can  follow.  Pull 
even  if  the  bird  vanishes  just  as  you  fire,  and  if 
you  have  aimed  ahead  of  where  the  mark  disap- 
peared, the  chances  are  still  good  that  you  will  get 
him. 

183 


Season  for  Shooting 

If  the  bird  is  flushed  from  the  ground  he  will  prob- 
ably fly  straight  away,  and  if  a  thicket  is  close  at 
hand  he  will  only  fly  a  short  distance.  If  he  flies  low 
the  chances  are  that  he  will  hght  on  the  ground,  but 
if  he  rises  when  he  disappears  it  generally  means  that 
he  is  flying  to  a  tree. 

If  the  bird  is  coming  head  on  wait  until  he  has 
passed  you  before  you  fire,  for  if  you  fire  while  he 
is  coming  toward  you  the  shot  will  go  against  his 
thick  feathers,  and  are  apt  to  glance  off.  By  waiting 
until  he  has  passed,  the  shot  will  get  in  under  the 
feathers.  If  you  are  obliged  to  fire  at  an  incoming 
bird,  aim  at  his  head. 

The  best  months  for  shooting  ruffed  grouse  are 
October  and  November,  as  the  leaves  are  then  off  the 
trees  and  the  birds  are  in  the  open  on  the  sunny  side 
of  the  ridges.  The  meat,  too,  at  this  time  has  its 
best  flavor. 

The  best  time  of  day  for  shooting  them  is  the  early 
morning  or  after  a  storm,  as  they  then  come  out  of 
the  woods  to  sun  themselves  and  to  feed.  Never  go 
after  them  if  there  is  much  wind  blowing,  as  they  are 
then  in  the  thick  growths. 

The  best  places  to  look  for  them  are  near  berry 
bushes  or  on  hard-wood  ridges  where  there  are  beech- 
nuts. If  it  is  getting  dusk  look  for  their  roosting 
places. 

Do  not  be  surprised  to  find  them  anywhere  during 
the  full  of  the  moon  of  November,  as  the  moon  seems 
to  give  them  a  longing  to  drift  about — it  does  not 
much  matter  where — and  they  are  sometimes  found 

184 


The  Canada  Grouse  or  Spruce  Partridge 

in  cities,  and  sometimes  light  on  coasting  vessels  at 
sea. 

Canada  grouse  are  found  throughout  Canada,  and 
the  northern  United  States  from  the  Atlantic  Ocean 
to  the  Rocky  Mountains.  They  differ  from  the  ruffed 
grouse  in  having  smaller  crests  on  their  heads,  smaller 
air  sacs  on  their  necks,  and  shorter  tails  which  are 
square  at  the  ends,  in  color  being  much  darker,  and 
in  size  somewhat  smaller. 

Between  the  two  sexes  there  is  no  appreciable 
difference  in  size,  although  the  cock  has  a  much 
brighter  plumage  than  the  hen.  Their  haunts  are  in 
growths  of  spruce  and  fir  and  in  swamps  of  tam- 
arack. They  are  also  found  on  old  logging  roads, 
and  in  abandoned  lumbermen's  camps.  They  are 
gentle  and  unsuspicious,  and  when  you  come  upon  one 
in  a  tote  road  he  does  little  more  than  step  aside  to 
let  you  pass.  If  one  is  roosting  on  the  Umb  of  a  tree, 
all  you  have  to  do  is  to  put  a  slipnoose  on  the  end  of 
a  pole,  and  with  stupid  curiosity  he  will  let  you  di'op 
the  noose  over  his  head. 

Because  of  their  stupidity  there  is  httle  sport  in 
shooting  them,  but  do  not  believe  the  man  who  tells 
you  that  the  meat  is  not  good  eating,  as  this  is  only 
true  during  the  winter  and  spring  while  they  are 
living  on  spruce  twigs. 

Although  the  meat  is  dark,  and  not  so  delicately 
flavored  as  that  of  the  birch  partridge,  a  young  spruce 
partridge  is  almost  as  good  eating  during  the  summer 
and  fall  as  a  birch  partridge. 

As  skill  in  wing  shooting  is  not  born  in  one,  and 
185 


About  Wing  Shooting 

as  the  knack  cannot  be  learned  from  books,  the  only 
way  to  become  a  good  wing  shot  is  to  keep  at  it 
until  it  becomes  a  second  natm-e.  The  difficult  thing 
about  it  is  to  know  how  far  ahead  to  hold  and  when 
to  pull  the  trigger.  This  requires  a  cool  head,  a 
quick  eye  and  the  rapid  handling  of  your  gun,  the 
whole  secret  being  in  making  the  trigger-finger  work 
with  the  eye  without  taking  time  for  mental  calcu- 
lations. 

Firing  at  a  Bunch 

When  you  fire  at  a  bunch  of  birds  aim  at  some 
particular  one.  If  you  expect  to  get  more  than  one 
of  the  bunch  aim  for  one  near  the  head  of  the  flight. 
If  you  only  expect  to  bring  down  one  fire  into  the 
middle  of  the  bunch,  for  you  may  make  a  bad  shot 
and  yet  get  a  bird. 

If  your  bird  is  rising  don't  bring  your  gun  above 
him  and  then  down,  but  fire  as  your  gun  comes  up. 
In  other  words  don't  make  a  drop  shot  as  it  is  called, 
for  with  the  bird  rising  and  the  gim  falling  the  chances 
are  about  even  for  a  miss. 

Remember  that  when  large  birds  rise  to  fly  they 
start  against  the  wind,  and  that  only  when  they  get 
under  headway  do  they  take  the  direction  they  wish 
to  go.  Catch  them,  therefore,  just  as  they  are  steady- 
ing themselves  in  the  air  for  the  turn,  as  the  question 
of  velocity  has  not  now  to  be  considered  in  taking 
aim. 

The  fault  which  all  beginners  have  to  overcome 
is  stopping  the  swing  of  the  gun  with  the  left  hand 

186 


Firing  at  Flying  Birds 

when  the  right  hand  pulls  the  trigger.  This,  of 
course,  generally  makes  a  miss,  for  before  the  shot 
has  started  on  its  journey,  although  it  is  but  the 
fraction  of  a  second,  the  bird  has  had  time  to  get  be- 
yond the  line  of  fire.  Both  hands,  therefore,  must 
be  taught  to  act  independently,  the  same  as  when  play- 
ing a  piano. 

Another  fault  of  the  novice  is  in  not  being  cool 
enough  to  keep  the  quarry  covered  until  it  is  both  in 
the  right  position  and  at  the  right  distance  for  the 
shot  to  do  its  best  work. 

If  your  bird  is  about  to  alight  fire  a  little  under 
him,  and  at  the  same  time  a  little  ahead  of  him. 

If  your  bird  is  flying  straight  away  fire  a  little 
over  him,  for  unless  he  is  about  to  alight,  and  is  flying 
downward,  you  may  be  sure  he  is  rising.  If  he  is 
above  you  hold  higher  than  if  he  were  on  a  level  with 
your  eye,  and  if  he  is  skimming  along  the  ground 
hold  a  Httle  lower. 

If  your  bird  is  flying  diagonally  toward  you  wait 
until  he  gets  by  you  on  account  of  the  feathers.  If, 
however,  he  would  be  out  of  range  when  he  gets  by, 
fire  a  little  above  him,  unless  he  is  dropping,  and 
from  one  to  two  feet  ahead  according  to  his  speed. 
The  exact  distance,  of  course,  you  can  only  learn  by 
experience.  If  the  bird  is  flying  diagonally  from  you 
fire  under  him,  unless  he  is  dropping,  so  that  the  shot 
will  meet  him.  In  both  cases  foflow  the  bird  with 
your  eye,  and  your  gun  will,  unconsciously,  keep  on 
the  line  of  fire. 

Although  quartering  birds  should  be  the  easiest 
187 


Golden  Rules 

to  get,  as  they  give  the  largest  mark,  most  beginners 
miss  them  because  they  either  do  not  hold  far  enough 
ahead  or  stop  the  swing  of  the  gun  when  they  pull  the 
trigger. 

Remember  that  if  you  are  right-handed,  and  the 
bird  is  flying  to  your  left  you  will  have  to  make  more 


'  t-;i 

Mr  ' '  iti 

Cock  Partridge 

of  an  effort  in  swinging  your  gun  beyond  him  than 
if  he  were  on  your  right.  The  reverse,  of  course,  is 
true  if  you  are  left-handed. 

Remember  that  there  are  three  golden  rules  for 
wing  shooting.  The  first  is  to  have  confidence  in 
yourself  or,  in  other  words,  to  make  up  your  mind 
that  you  will  get  the  first  bird  that  starts ;  the  second 
is  to  let  the  bird  have  it  when  he  starts,  if  there  is  a 
ghost  of  a  chance  of  hitting  him;  and  the  third  is  to 
keep  cool  and  give  the  bird  time  to  get  into  his  regular 
flight.  This  will  give  your  nerves  time  to  get  settled 
and  your  mind  time  to  get  both  a  clear  idea  of  the 

188 


Ejpprcssions 

distance  the  bird  is  away,  and  the  velocity  with  which 
he  is  flying. 

Bird  Terms  to  Know 

When  a  number  of  herons  or  bitterns  are  together 
it  is  called  a  sege.  A  number  of  swans  together 
is  called  a  company.  Cranes  or  curlews  together  are 
called  a  herd.  Three  or  more  ducks  together  are 
known  as  a  flock  or  bunch,  sheldrakes  as  a  depping, 
teal  as  a  spring,  coots  as  a  covert,  mallard  ducks  as  a 
sord  or  suite,  geese  as  a  gaggle,  quail  as  a  bevy,  plover 
as  a  congregation,  snipe  as  a  walk,  peep  as  a  flock, 
partridges  as  a  brace,  and  woodcock  as  a  fall. 


189 


CHAPTER  XIV 


SOME  OF  THE  PLEASURES  OF  TRAPPING 


If  you  are  to  take  your  vacation  between  Novem- 
ber and  April  it  will  pay  you  to  take  along  a  few- 
traps,  as  it  is  always  interesting  to  have  something 

to  visit  while  you  are  wan- 
dering through  the  woods. 
You  will  find,  too,  that 
there  is  a  peculiar  fascina- 
tion about  trapping  which 
gives  to  this  sport  a  charm 
distinctive  to  itself,  as  you 
will  always  be  wondering 
what  may  be  in  the  trap. 

Successful  trapping 
means  brains  against  cun- 
ning, and  only  a  small  part 
of  it  is  being  able  to  set  a  trap  cleverly.  To  win 
in  the  game  it  is  not  enough  to  know  from  books 
the  characteristics  of  the  animal  you  hope  to  get, 
but  you  nmst  have  a  practical  knowledge  of  his 
daily  habits.  If  you  are  after  aquatic  animals 
you  must  know  the  swamps,  streams  and  ponds 
where  impressions  of  their  feet  and  bodies  will  be  left 

190 


A  Mink  Trap 


Spring  Poles 

along  the  banks.  You  must  also  know  where  they 
leave  and  enter  the  water,  and  where  their  sUdes  or 
play-grounds  are.  If  you  are  after  land  animals  look 
for  their  droppings,  the  signs  of  recent  meals  and  their 
runways  through  the  grasses  and  bushes.  When  you 
come  upon  one  of  these  places  examine  it  carefully, 
and  you  will  probably  find  a  few  hairs  which  will  tell 
you,  if  the  footprints  have  not  already  done  so,  what 
kind  of  an  animal  has  been  there.  Look  closely  at  a 
dead  leaf  which  has  been  moved  and  see  if  it  is  still 
damp  on  the  under  side  or  at  a  crushed  blade  of  grass 
and  decide  how  recently  it  was  broken.  Examine  the 
footprint  and  make  up  your  mind  how  fresh  the  tiny 
bits  of  dirt  are  which  have  been  disturbed.  If  you 
satisfy  yourself  that  the  animal  is  accustomed  to 
pass  that  way,  set  your  trap  so  that  he  will  be  forced 
to  step  on  the  pan. 

Trapping  in  General 

Every  one  knows  that  an  animal,  caught  in  a  trap, 
will  gnaw  his  foot  off  if  the  jaws  of  the  trap  break  the 
bone  when  it  snaps  together,  and  if  the  bone  is  not 
broken,  that  he  will  gnaw  the  flesh  off  so  that  he  can 
pull  it  out,  neither  of  these  things  being  painful  for 
him  to  do  as  the  leg  becomes  numb  by  being  pinched 
between  the  jaws.  To  prevent  an  animal  doing  this  a 
spring  pole,  so  called,  is  used  which  is  made  by  bend- 
ing a  saphng  over  and  holding  it  down  with  a  pronged 
stake  which  is  driven  into  the  ground,  the  chain  of 
the  trap  being  made  fast  to  the  sapling,  so  that  when 
the  animal  in  his  struggle  releases  the  sapling  from 

191 


Sliding  Poles 

the  stake,  he  is  held  head  downward  when  it  springs 
up.  The  one  thing  to  be  sure  of  is  to  have  the  saphng 
large  enough  to  Uft  the  animal.  If  there  is  no  sapling 
where  you  set  the  trap  dig  a  hole  in  the  ground  and 
put  one  there.  Another  way  is  to  attach  to  the  chain 
a  drag  or  clog  of  about  the  same  weight  as  the  animal, 
so  that  he  can  drag  it  along  but  not  run  with  it. 
Be  careful,  however,  not  to  have  the  clog  so  heavy 
that  he  cannot  move  it  or  he  will  gnaw  his  foot  off. 
Be  sure  also  to  fasten  the  chain  near  the  end  of  the 
clog  and  never  in  the  centre,  so  that  the  clog  will  not 
get  caught  in  the  undergrowth.  To  prevent  the  chain 
shpping  off  the  clog,  fasten  it  at  the  thicker  end,  and 
then  drive  a  wedge  in  or  put  the  chain  in  a  groove  cut 
in  the  clog.  To  prevent  an  aquatic  animal  gnawing 
his  foot  off,  trappers  take  advantage  of  its  habit  of 
diving  into  the  water  when  caught,  by  setting  the 
trap  either  on  the  edge  of  the  water  or  in  it,  and 
having  the  ring  on  the  chain  over  a  stout  wire,  one 
end  of  which  is  fastened  to  the  shore,  and  the  other 
end  to  a  large  stone  which  is  thrown  into  deep  water. 
By  this  contrivance  the  animal  when  he  plunges  into 
the  water  and  the  ring  slides  down  the  wire  to  the 
stone,  is  unable  to  get  to  the  surface  for  air,  and 
drowns.  If  you  have  no  wire  cut  a  long  limb  off  a 
tree,  trim  ofif  the  branches  except  a  few  stubs  near 
the  end,  drive  it  into  the  ground  in  deep  water,  and 
make  the  other  end  fast  to  the  shore,  or,  in  other 
words,  use  what  trappers  call  a  sliding  pole. 

In  setting  a  trap  remember  that  the  secret  is  to 
conceal  it  in  such  a  way  that  the  animal  cannot  tell 

192 


a 


Hem)  to  Set  a  Trap 

where  it  is,  and  unconsciously  steps  on  the  pan.  As 
an  animal  in  prowling  about  follows  a  well-defined 
path,  and  only  leaves  it  to  explore  the  woods  and 
then  returns  to  it  again,  one  way  is  to  put  the  trap 
between  two  ridges  which  are  close  together  on  the 
sides  of  a  natural  pathway.  Another  way  is  to  put 
two  logs,  V-shaped,  along  a  well  beaten  path,  hiding 
the  trap  in  the  narrow  opening.  Another  way  is  to 
sink  the  trap  in  the  path,  and  to  place  some  sticks 
across  the  path  in  such  a  way  that  the  animal  in 
stepping  over  them  will  step  on  to  the  pan,  as  an  ani- 
mal when  going  along  a  trail  never  steps  on  sticks  or 
stones  in  the  path  if  he  can  avoid  it.  In  setting  a  trap 
keep  in  mind  that  wild  animals  are  suspicious,  and 
that  after  a  trap  is  set  everything  must  be  left  as  found. 
Unless  you  are  to  set  your  trap  in  water  wash  it 
before  you  set  it  with  woodash-lye  or  soapsuds,  and 
then  smoke  it  by  burning  bird  feathers  or  dried  grass 
under  it,  as  most  animals  will  smell  the  iron  unless 
it  has  a  woody  or  animal  smell.  After  you  have 
smoked  it  only  handle  it  with  gloves  on,  and  never 
touch  anything  where  you  set  your  traps  without 
them  on,  otherwise  your  hands  will  leave  enough 
scent  for  the  animal  to  know  that  you  have  been 
there.  Do  as  little  walking  about  as  possible  when 
setting  a  trap,  and  don't  expectorate,  even  if  you  do 
not  use  tobacco.  If  you  are  to  set  the  trap  in  the 
water,  or  on  the  edge  of  the  water,  go  to  the  place  in 
a  canoe  or  wade  along  the  shore.  Keep  in  the  water" 
while  setting  it,  and  when  you  go  back  sprinkle  your 
tracks  on  the  shore  with  a  wet  hemlock  bough. 

195 


How  to  Bait  a  Trap 

Remember  that  wild  animals  live  on  what  they 
capture  and  therefore  look  with  suspicion  upon  meat 
or  dead  animals.  Remember,  too,  that  bait  is  a  de- 
coy, and  is  not  put  there  for  food,  but  to  tempt  the 
animal  to  investigate  it.  When  you  use  bait  never 
put  it  on  the  trap  as  an  amateur  trapper  is  apt  to  do, 
but  where  the  animal  in  examining  it  will  step  on  the 
pan.  One  way  is  to  put  the  bait  under  a  log  with  the 
trap  so  arranged  that  when  the  animal  paws  the  bait 
out  he  touches  the  pan. 

Another  way  is  to  put  some  bait  in  a  rotten  log, 
and  after  allowing  the  animal  to  paw  it  out,  then  to 
conceal  the  trap  there  after  putting  in  fresh  bait. 
To  get  the  animal  to  go  to  the  place,  drag  a  piece 
of  bloody  meat  or  the  entrails  of  some  animal 
through  the  woods  for  a  trail. 

Another  way  to  bait  a  trap  is  to  lay  a  bird  or  a 
rabbit  under  a  tree  which  has  recently  fallen  over, 
and  to  hide  your  traps  near  the  bait.  Another  way 
is  to  fasten  the  bait  to  a  stick  over  the  trap  so  that 
when  the  animal  reaches  up  for  it  he  puts  his  foot 
on  the  pan. 

In  using  these  or  similar  tricks  of  woodcraft  re- 
member that  the  simpler  the  methods  the  more 
chances  there  are  of  success. 

The  Bait  to  Use 

Bait  for  carnivorous  or  flesh-eating  animals  should 
be  meat  in  some  form,  and  for  omnivorous  animals, 
or  those  which  eat  everything  indiscriminately,  any 
kind  of  food,  a  good  bait  for  any  animal  being  fried 

196 


Scents 

meat  smeared  with  honey  or  smoked  meat,  as  it 
has  a  strong  smell.  Often  in  place  of  bait  a  trapper 
collects  what  an  animal  has  left  after  it  has  finished 
a  meal,  especially  the  feathers,  and  puts  these  over 
the  trap.  Another  trick  is  to  smear  the  trap  with 
blood,  and  then  bury  the  trap  after  the  blood  has 
dried  on  it,  as  the  smeU  of  blood  makes  the  animal 
think  that  some  other  animal  has  bm-ied  food  there, 
and  he  paws  into  the  trap.  WTien,  however,  you 
set  your  trap  on  the  rimway  of  an  animal,  or  where 
he  goes  to  drink,  or  at  his  sUde,  or  if  you  find  a  fa- 
vorite feeding  place  where  there  are  plenty  of  flags, 
grasses,  succulent  water  plants,  berries,  or  nuts,  no 
bait  is  needed. 

To  attract  animals  which  might  pass  and  repass 
near  a  trap  without  going  to  it,  the  bait  is  often 
smeared  with  a  scent.  One  commonly  used  is  fish 
oil.  This  is  made  by  cutting  a  fish,  which  is  rich  in 
oils,  as  a  trout  or  an  eel,  into  small  pieces  and  putting 
these  into  a  corked  bottle.  These,  when  exposed  to 
the  sun,  give  off  a  rancid  oil  which  has  a  very  odorous 
smell.  Another  good  scent  is  made  by  putting  mud 
worms  into  earth  saturated  with  milk,  and  after  the 
worms  have  become  bloated  with  the  milk,  putting 
them  into  a  corked  bottle  in  the  sun  until  they  have 
decomposed.  Other  scents  are  assafcetida,  a  foul 
smelhng  vegetable  product  from  Persia  and  the  East 
Indies;  castoreum,  a  secretion  obtained  from  the 
beaver,  which  old  trappers  say  "will  make  a  beaver 
squeal  with  delight  when  it  smells  it";  and  musk, 
a  secretion  obtained  from  the  otter,  muskrat,  and 

197 


Scent  on  Moccasins 

other  animals,  the  musk  of  the  female  muskrat  be- 
ing largely  used  in  the  capture  of  that  animal,  and 
that  of  the  otter  for  those  animals.  Other  scents  are 
oil  of  skunk;  anise,  a  vegetable  product  which  can 
be  obtained  at  any  drug  store;  sweet  fennel,  a  plant 
cultivated  in  all  parts  of  the  United  States;  and 
cummin  which  is  very  similar  to  fennel.  When  using 
any  of  these  scents  be  sure  to  smear  them  over  the 
bait  with  a  feather. 

Often  when  trappers  go  their  rounds  they  put  a 
scent  on  the  bottom  of  their  moccasins  and  in  this 
way  make  trails  to  their  traps,  or  they  drag  along  a 
piece  of  bloody  meat,  or  the  entrails  of  some  animal. 
But  better  than  any  trail  is  to  set  several  traps  where 
you  have  killed  some  large  animal,  and  then  drag  the 
entrails  through  the  woods  in  different  directions,  as 
many  animals  are  sure  to  go  there  sooner  or  later  for 
a  feast. 

Trapping  for  Bear 

The  American  black  bear,  which  is  the  common 
species  found  in  northern  United  States  and  Canada, 
feeds  on  roots,  berries,  beech  nuts,  acorns,  flesh  and 
fish,  and  is  particularly  fond  of  honey  and  molasses. 
Through  the  winter  months  they  sleep  in  dens,  caves, 
or  hollow  trees,  and  in  February  and  March  the  she 
bear  gives  birth,  generally,  to  two  cubs  which  remain 
in  the  den  until  they  are  large  enough  to  follow  the 
dam,  when  they  ramble  about  with  her  until  the  fol- 
lowing spring  and  then  forage  for  themselves. 

If  there  is  a  bear  in  the  vicinity  of  your  camp  set 
198 


A  Deadfall  for  Bear 

a  deadfall  for  him.  An  easy  way  of  making  one  is  to 
prop  up  a  heavy  log  over  one  lying  on  the  ground 
lengthwise  with  it,  the  under  log  being  kept  from 
rolling  by  driving  down  stakes  on  each  side  of  it,  and 
the  upper  log  held  in  position  by  two  sticks  placed  so 
obliquely  that  if  a  bear  rubs  against  either  of  them 
they  both  give  way,  and  the  falling  log  breaks  the 
bear's  back. 

To  make  the  upper  log  or  deadfall  drop  squarely 
on  the  bear,  four  long  stakes  are  driven  into  the 
ground,  close  to  the  logs,  the  ends  of  each  pair  of 
stakes  being  bound  with  a  withe  above  the  upper  log 
to  prevent  the  stakes  spreading.  Timber  is  then 
piled  on  the  deadfall  just  outside  the  upright  stakes, 
and  brush  piled  up  against  the  timber  on  three  sides, 
some  trappers  roofing  the  trap  over  to  prevent  the 
bear  crawling  over  the  brush  and  getting  at  the 
bait  without  going  between  the  props.  The  bait 
is  now  put  on  the  ground  in  such  a  way  that  the 
bear  in  getting  at  it  has  to  squeeze  between  the 
props. 

It  often  happens,  however,  with  this  kind  of  a 
deadfall  that  the  bear  knocks  out  one  of  the  props 
before  he  gets  fairly  under  the  log,  and  thus  escapes. 
For  this  reason  a  stick  three  feet  long,  called  a  spindle, 
is  used.  One  end  of  this  stick  has  the  bait  on  it  and 
the  other  end  is  hewed  flat,  and  put  under  a  single 
prop  which  holds  up  the  deadfall,  this  prop  being  put 
in  the  brush  where  the  bear  cannot  disturb  it.  As 
the  end  of  the  spindle  which  has  the  bait  on  it  is  now 
in  the  centre  of  the  log  enclosure,  the  bear  has  to  get 

199 


A  Deadfall  for  Bear 

well  under  the  deadfall  before  he  can  pull  at  the  bait 
which  pulls  the  prop  from  under  the  log.  Similar 
deadfalls  but  smaller  ones  are  made  for  the  other 
fur  bearing  animals. 

Another  kind  of  deadfall  is  made  by  driving  into 
the  ground  inside  the  log  enclosure  two  pegs  with 
forked  ends  pointing  downward  and  toward  the  open- 
ing. Under  these  forks  a  short  stick  is  put,  which  is 
held  in  position  by  an  upright  stick  three  feet  long, 
having  square  notches  at  the  two  ends,  the  lower 
notch  holding  up  the  small  cross-piece.  In  the  upper 
notch  the  flattened  end  of  another  stick  is  put,  one 
end  of  this  stick  being  held  in  position  by  the  walls  of 
the  log  enclosure  and  the  other  end  projecting  a  few 
inches  beyond  the  upright  stick.  Under  this  hori- 
zontal stick  a  long  stick  of  timber  is  put,  the  outer  end 
of  this  timber  resting  on  a  forked  stick  driven  into 
the  ground  near  the  bed  log,  this  long  stick  holding 
up  the  deadfall  log.  By  this  contrivance  the  dead- 
fall log  is  held  up  on  the  outer  end  of  the  projecting 
timber  which  the  smaller  horizontal  stick  holds  down, 
which  in  turn  is  held  in  position  by  the  perpendicular 
stick  with  the  two  notches  in  it,  this  in  turn  being 
held  in  position  by  the  pegs.  By  this  series  of  con- 
necting triggers,  if  the  notched  stick  is  pulled  out  of 
position,  everything  gives  way.  The  bait,  therefore, 
is  fastened  to  the  lower  end  of  this  upright  stick,  and 
the  bear,  being  under  the  deadfall  when  he  pulls  it, 
releases  it,  and  the  deadfall  drops  on  him.  In  making 
these  deadfalls  many  trappers  drive  spikes  into  both 
the  deadfall  and  the  bed  log,  so  that  the  bear  is  pinned 

200 


Setting  a  Steel  Trap 

and  cannot  get  away  if  the  deadfall  does  not  break 
his  back. 

The  advantage  of  using  a  deadfall  instead  of  a 
steel  trap  for  bear  as  well  as  other  animals,  is  that 
it  generally  kills  the  animal  when  it  is  sprung,  and  if 


A  Bear  Trap 


you  do  not  visit  the  trap  for  several  days  you  do  not 
have  it  on  your  mind  that  some  animal  may  be  starv- 
ing or  freezing  to  death  because  of  your  negligence  or 
laziness. 

In  constructing  a  deadfall  only  old  material 
should  be  used.  There  should  be  no  new  axe  work 
in  the  vicinity,  and  the  older  the  material,  consistent 
with  strength,  the  better. 

In  setting  a  steel  trap  for  a  bear  put  it  where  one 
log  has  fallen  over  another,  so  that  they  make  a  V- 

201 


Bait  for  Bear 

shaped  pen,  putting  the  bait  where  the  two  logs  come 
together,  and  the  trap  at  the  other  end.  To  get  the 
bear  to  step  on  to  the  trap  drive  two  sticks  into  the 
ground  about  eight  inches  from  the  trap,  and  slant- 
ing so  that  they  cross  each  other  about  a  foot  above 
the  ground.  This  forces  him  to  step  over  the  sticks 
where  they  cross  and  on  to  the  pan.  Under  the  pan 
put  a  small  piece  of  wood  to  prevent  smaller  animals 
springing  the  trap,  but  not  a  piece  strong  enough  to 
support  the  weight  of  a  bear. 

In  setting  a  steel  trap  for  a  bear  use  a  heavy  clog 
and  a  short  chain,  as  this  will  prevent  him,  when 
caught,  trying  to  break  it  against  trees,  logs,  and 
stones. 

In  baiting  a  deadfall  or  a  steel  trap  for  a  bear, 
use  the  entrails  of  some  animal,  burnt  or  putrid  meat, 
burnt  fish,  honey,  or  molasses  smeared  on  fresh  fish 
or  burnt  honeycomb — burning  the  meat,  fish,  or 
honeycomb  on  stones  heated  near  the  trap. 

In  looking  for  bear  signs  remember  that  a  bear 
leaves  deep  claw  marks  on  the  mouldy  bark  of  fallen 
trees. 

Remember  that  a  bear  will  pay  no  attention  to 
any  noise  you  may  make  if  he  is  stalking  game. 

Remember  that  a  bear  will  not  hesitate  to  risk 
his  Ufe  if  a  feast  is  in  sight,  and  any  odd  arrange- 
ment of  timbers  does  not  make  him  suspicious  when 
a  tempting  bait  is  discovered. 

Remember  that  when  you  meet  a  bear  there  are 
always  two  surprises.  He  has  one  and  you  the 
other. 

202 


Food  of  Minks 

Minks  which  belong  to  the  weasel  family  are 
ramblers  except  in  the  breeding  season,  which  begins 
the  last  of  April.  They  live  in  holes  along  the  banks 
of  streams,  and  feed  on  fish,  frogs,  snakes,  birds,  and 
mice,  being  particularly  fond  of  muskrats  and  trout. 
Sometimes,  too,  they  are  able  to  pounce  upon  a  snipe 
or  a  duck.  They  are  always  in  search  of  something 
to  eat,  and  in  going  along  the  bank  of  a  stream  peep 
into  every  nook  and  corner,  their  voracity  being  so 
much  greater  than  their  cunning  that  they  will  often 
go  headlong  into  a  trap.  In  their  wanderings  they 
not  only  have  well-defined  runways  over  which  they 
travel,  but  nest  in  the  same  places,  these  nests  being 
either  under  a  root  or  in  a  hollow  log,  which  are  no- 
ticeable by  the  droppings. 

Trapping  for  Mink 

For  a  mink  trap  all  you  need  is  a  two  and  one-half 
inch  auger  and  some  nails.  Bore  a  hole  four  inches 
deep  in  the  side  of  a  log  near  a  stream  where  there 
are  mink  tracks,  or  in  the  root  of  some  tree,  or  in  an 
old  stump.  Then  drive  three  wire  nails,  with  the 
heads  filed  off,  into  the  sides  of  the  hole,  until  they 
stick  out  about  half  an  inch,  tapping  them  enough  to 
make  them  project  inward.  Throw  a  little  mud  or 
sand  into  the  hole,  and  some  fish  scented  with  fish  oil, 
and  the  mink  will  do  the  rest,  as  he  can  get  his  head 
past  the  nails  but  cannot  get  it  back.  Don't  make 
the  hole  on  the  top  of  your  log,  root,  or  stump,  as  it 
will  fill  with  water  when  it  rains.  If  you  use  a  steel 
trap  and  make  a  land  set  cover  it  with  leaves,  rotten 

203 


Trap  Set  in  Water 

wood,  or  moss  and  then  spread  twigs  around  it.  But 
be  sure  and  use  a  spring  pole,  as  blood  relationship 
does  not  count  when  a  member  of  the  weasel  family 
is  in  a  trap,  and  it  is  one  of  the  characteristics  of 
this  family  to  follow  each  other,  and  steal  each  other's 
prey. 

If  you  set  your  trap  in  water  put  it  on  a  root 
or  a  branch  of  a  tree  just  under  the  water,  with  the 
bait  on  a  stick  out  of  the  water,  having  the  chain  at- 
tached to  a  wire  or  a  shding  pole,  or  the  trap  balanced 
on  the  root  with  a  weight  attached  to  the  chain,  so 
that  when  it  falls  off  the  root  it  will  pull  the  mink  into 
deep  water  and  drown  him,  otherwise  he  will  gnaw  his 
leg  off. 

Another  way  to  catch  the  wily  mink  is  to  build 
a  stone  house  two  feet  long,  six  inches  wide  and 
a  foot  high  in  the  shallow  water  of  a  fast-running 
stream,  having  the  long  side  of  the  house  parallel 
with  the  stream,  and  the  upper  end  open.  Inside 
on  a  stone  just  above  the  water  put  the  bait,  and 
then  sink  the  trap  just  in  front  of  the  house,  after 
putting  the  chain  through  the  wall  and  fastening  it  to 
a  piece  of  wood.  On  the  top  of  the  walls  put  a  heavy 
stone  for  the  roof  so  that  when  the  mink  gets  caught 
and  pulls  on  the  chain  the  walls  give  way  and  the 
stone  in  falhng  kills  him. 

After  everything  is  ready  pour  water  over  the 
house  to  take  away  all  human  scent,  and  then 
drop  a  decoy  scent  on  the  roof  stone.  If  Mr.  Mink 
passes  that  way  and  is  hungry  you  are  sure  to  get 
him. 

204 


Suggestions  About  Minks 

Look  for  signs  of  mink  in  swamps  or  on  water 
courses  where  there  is  a  tangle  of  dead-wood  or 
logs. 

A  good  place  to  set  a  trap  is  where  a  sod  over- 
hanging the  bank  of  a  stream  has  curled  down, 
leaving  a  space  between  it  and  the  bank.  Such 
places  mink  use  as  runways  in  going  up  and  down 
the  banks. 

An  old  hollow  log  is  also  a  good  place  for  a  trap. 
Don't  use  any  bait  as  a  mink  likes  to  kill  his  own 
game,  but  drop  some  scent  on  the  top  of  the  log,  and 
the  mink  will  hunt  around  for  the  prey. 

After  a  light  fall  of  snow  find  the  old  logs,  Umbs 
of  trees,  and  old  dams  where  mink  cross  the  streams, 
and  set  a  trap  in  the  centre  of  one  of  these  crossing 
places. 

In  the  winter  time  set  your  trap  on  the  top  of  a 
large  log  so  that  it  will  be  above  the  snow,  first  build- 
ing a  shack  of  splits,  after  cutting  slashes  in  the  log 
to  hold  the  ends  of  the  splits  in  position.  Then  put 
the  bait  at  the  back  of  the  shack  and  the  trap  at  the 
entrance. 

Remember  that  if  you  trap  a  mink  without  using 
a  spring  pole  or  a  sliding  pole,  other  mink,  or  a  mar- 
ten, or  a  fisher,  will  be  apt  to  rob  the  trap. 

For  bait  use  deer  meat,  muskrat  meat  or  fish, 
fish  being  the  best,  as  it  gives  more  scent.  If  you 
use  scent  the  musk  of  the  muskrat  is  the  best. 

Many  trappers  cover  their  traps  even  when  set  in 
water,  as  the  keen  eyes  of  a  mink  are  apt  to  notice  a 
trap  if  it  is  not  out  of  sight. 

205 


Food  of  Marten 

The  marten,  which  also  belongs  to  the  weasel 
family,  differs  but  httle  from  the  mink,  except  that  the 
feet  are  larger.  As  they  are  shy  animals  their  haunts 
are  in  thick,  dark  woods  where  they  Uve  in  the  tops 
of  hollow  trees,  often  taking  the  nests  of  squirrels  and 
birds  for  their  homes,  occasionally  making  their  homes 
in  holes  in  the  groimd.  They  are  more  active  climbers 
than  the  gray  squirrel,  but  not  as  swift  as  the  red 
squirrel,  and  generally  roam  the  forests  at  night,  al- 
though they  are  frequently  seen  during  the  day. 
They  feed  on  rabbits,  birds,  squirrels,  mice,  and  other 
small  animals,  and  are  especially  fond  of  beech  nuts 
and  honey. 

In  trapping  for  them  set  your  trap  on  their 
runways  and  use  a  spring  pole,  or  make  a  shack 
on  a  log  the  same  as  for  mink,  or  a  deadfall  similar 
to  one  used  for  a  bear,  but  smaller  in  size.  In  baiting 
the  trap  use  deer  meat,  muskrat  meat  or  fish. 

Trapping  for  Fishers 

Fishers,  which  are  better  known  as  black  cats, 
also  belong  to  the  weasel  family,  and  although  they 
resemble  the  marten,  are  much  larger,  the  head  being 
more  pointed,  the  ears  more  rounded,  and  the  neck, 
legs  and  feet  stouter. 

They  do  not  live  so  exclusively  in  deep  woods 
as  the  marten  and  often  make  their  homes  along 
the  banks  of  streams,  prowling  about  at  night  in 
search  of  food,  especially  in  swampy  places.  They 
feed  on  rabbits,  squirrels,  grouse,  mice,  and  small 
birds,   and   sometimes  in  the   day  time  watch  for 

206 


Bait  for  Fishers 

fish  from  a  log  over  a  stream  where,  with  the  head 
well  over,  they  are  ready  for  a  plunge,  as  they  are 
expert  swimmers.  Meat,  however,  is  their  favorite 
diet.  Their  breeding  season  is  in  March  and  April, 
the  young  being  hidden  from  the  males,  high  up  in 
hollow  trees,  until  they  are  large  enough  to  take  care 
of  themselves. 

When  trapping  for  them  take  a  deer-skin  bag 
about  the  size  of  a  mitten,  and  after  punching  it  full 
of  holes  with  a  nail,  put  in  it  a  mixtiu"e  composed  of 
the  oil  of  anise,  assafcBtida,  the  musk  of  a  muskrat, 
and  fish  oil  and  drag  it  along  your  line  of  traps.  In 
setting  your  traps  place  them  in  hoUow  logs  and 
cover  them  with  powdered  rotten  wood,  or  make 
shacks  the  same  as  for  marten.  For  bait  use  deer 
meat,  muskrat  meat,  or  fish. 

Trapping  for  Otter 

Otter  being  aquatic  animals  hve  either  in  nests 
burrowed  in  the  banks  of  streams  or  in  hollow  logs 
or  in  crevices  between  rocks  and  stones,  these  nests 
being  lined  with  dry  leaves,  grasses,  and  small  sticks. 
They  are  about  the  size  of  the  domestic  cat,  and  in 
appearance  are  like  the  mink  but  larger,  having  the 
same  color  of  fur,  and  practically  the  same  habits. 
Like  the  mink,  they  are  great  ramblers,  travelling 
over  hills  and  through  swamps  from  one  stream  or 
pond  to  the  nearest  point  of  another,  several  generally 
going  together.  In  these  rambles  they  are  often  gone 
from  a  week  to  ten  days  at  a  time,  and  the  trapper 
who  knows  their  habits  patiently  waits  for  their  re- 

207 


Otter  Slides 

turn  from  these  circuits  if  he  gets  nothing  in  his 
traps.  As  the  legs  of  the  otter  are  on  the  sides  of 
the  body,  it  gives  them  an  awkward  and  waddling 
appearance  when  travelling  on  land,  their  tracks  being 
easily  distinguished  by  the  wide  spread  of  their  feet 
and  by  the  impressions  which  the  soles  of  their  feet 
make  on  the  groimd,  known  as  the  seal.  They  are 
excellent  swimmers,  and  are  able  to  remain  for  a  long 
time  under  water.  They  live  almost  entirely  on  fish, 
sometimes  destroying  them  in  large  numbers  for  the 
mere  pleasure  of  killing  them,  and  as  they  are  espe- 
cially fond  of  speckled  trout  they  are  often  found  on 
clear  and  rapidly  flo^^^ng  streams.  One  of  their  pe- 
cuharities  is  their  practice  of  sliding  down  wet  and 
muddy  banks.  These  places,  which  are  known  as 
their  play-grounds,  are  found  on  all  the  streams  and 
ponds  which  they  haunt.  In  choosing  a  play-ground 
they  select  a  bank  which  has  a  steep  pitch  into  deep 
water,  with  shallow  water  close  by,  where  they  can 
easily  get  ashore,  and  a  gentle  slope  to  the  top  of  the 
slide.  When  attacked  they  are  plucky  fighters,  bit- 
ing with  all  the  energy  they  are  capable  of  and  never 
yielding  as  long  as  there  is  life  in  their  bodies.  As  the 
bite  is  a  severe  one  be  cautious  when  handling  one 
alive. 

As  the  otter  is  keen-scented  and  very  shy  he  is 
one  of  the  hardest  animals  to  trap.  Use  a  No.  3, 
double  spring  trap,  and  when  setting  it  in  water 
put  it  where  the  otter  comes  out  of  the  water  to  go 
to  his  slide.  Have  it  about  four  inches  under  water, 
and,  on  account  of  the  wide  spread  of  an  otter's  feet 

208 


Land  Sets 

put  it  a  little  to  one  side  of  where  his  body  drags  along 
in  getting  out  of  the  water.  Do  not,  however,  ever 
set  a  trap  near  a  slide  if  the  tracks  show  that  they 
come  out  of  the  water  at  different  places.  Remem- 
ber that  as  soon  as  the  fore  feet  of  an  otter  strike  the 
shore  his  hind  feet  sink  to  the  bottom,  and  he  walks 
out.  Therefore,  set  it  where  his  hind  feet  will  strike 
it.  When  setting  it  drive  a  stake  into  the  ground  out 
in  the  water  the  length  of  the  chain,  with  the  top  of 
the  stake  just  below  the  surface,  and  over  this  put  the 
ring,  so  that  the  otter  can  swim  about  when  he  is 
caught,  which  will  prevent  him  gnawing  his  leg  off. 
Set  it  also  with  the  jaws  opened  across  his  landing 
place  and  then  sift  some  mud  over  the  trap  and  the 
chain  so  that  they  cannot  be  seen,  and  smear  some 
over  the  stake  and  the  ring.  As  the  object  is  to 
catch  him  as  he  comes  ashore,  no  bait  is  needed. 
One  advantage  of  setting  an  otter  trap  in  the  water 
is  because  it  is  not  apt  to  be  sprung  by  any  other 
animal;  another  advantage  is  that  it  can  be  visited 
in  a  boat  and  no  scent  be  left. 

If  you  make  a  land  set  a  good  place  to  put  the 
trap  is  where  a  slide  begins,  as  the  otter  will  then  be 
in  a  walking  position,  or  along  the  side  of  the  sUde 
where  one  of  his  legs  will  press  against  the  pan  as  he 
goes  down.  Never  put  it  on  the  shde  itself.  In  set- 
ting the  trap  dig  away  the  earth  with  the  blade  of 
your  hatchet,  and  cover  it  with  dry  evergreen  leaves, 
moss  or  rotten  wood  broken  very  fine,  being  careful 
to  smooth  the  earth  over  so  that  nothing  appears 
unnatural.    Be  also  careful  that  nothing  is  on  the 

209 


Trapping  in  Winter 

pan  to  prevent  the  jaws  gripping  firmly  when  sprung. 
Another  good  land  set  is  to  put  the  trap  where  he 
makes  his  excretions,  as  this  strange  animal  always 
has  some  particular  place  where  this  is  done,  and  will 
often  travel  a  long  distance  in  order  to  go  to  the  same 
place.  If  all  this  excrement  is  not  in  one  spot, 
gather  up  the  accumulations,  and  put  them  where 
the  largest  pile  is,  setting  the  trap  about  a  foot  in 
front  of  the  heap  on  the  side  where  the  tracks  are. 

When  trapping  otter  in  the  winter,  if  you  find  a 
place  where  he  uses  a  hole  through  the  ice,  fasten  the 


OUer  Tracks  on  Snow 

chain  to  a  heavy  stone  for  an  anchor,  and  lower  both 
the  trap  and  the  stone  into  the  water.  If  the  water 
is  shallow  you  will  need  no  bait,  as  the  otter  springs 
the  trap  while  getting  out  of  the  water.  If  the  water 
is  deep  bait  the  trap  with  a  piece  of  fish  fastened  to 
the  pan,  the  otter  tliis  time  being  caught  by  the  head. 
Another  way  is  to  bury  the  trap  where  he  sUdes  when 
travelling  over  the  snow,  and  because  it  is  always  dif- 
ficult for  him  to  get  through  the  snow  he  will  not 
leave  the  old  furrows  which  he  has  made  if  he  can 
avoid  it.  In  putting  the  trap  in  one  of  these  furrows 
see  that  the  snow  looks  as  much  as  possible  like  the 
rest  of  the  shde.  This  is  not,  however,  a  very  satis- 
factory way  of  trapping  an  otter,  as  he  is  generally  on 

210 


Bait  for  Otter 

to  the  trick,  but  as  he  has  strong  objections  to  making 
a  new  path  he  can  sometimes  be  caught. 

When  making  a  land  set  always  fasten  the  chain 
to  a  spring  pole,  and  when  setting  your  trap  always 
wear  gloves  and  never  touch  anything  which  can 
be  avoided. 

Although  as  a  rule  otter  will  not  eat  bait  they  will 
smell  it  over,  which  is  just  as  good. 

Decayed  meat,  or  better  still,  decaying  fish,  will 
often  attract  them,  especially  if  it  is  placed  upon  a 
bush  or  in  any  unusual  place,  but  remember  that 
although  they  are  inquisitive  creatures  the  bait  must 
excite  their  curiosity  and  not  alarm  them. 

If  you  will  always  take  time  to  smoke  your  traps 
before  leaving  camp,  you  may  be  able  to  take  home 
to  your  wife  or  favorite  sister  a  coveted  boa. 

Only  visit  a  trap  once  in  two  or  three  days  and  only 
go  near  enough  to  it  to  see  if  it  has  been  disturbed. 

Trapping  for  Muskrats 

Muskrats  are  found  on  sluggish  streams  and  ponds 
bordered  with  grasses  and  flags  upon  which  they 
largely  live.  From  the  roots  of  these  flags  they  build 
dome-shaped  houses  along  the  shores  of  marshes, 
which  they  enter  from  under  the  water.  Here  they 
live  during  the  winter  in  families  of  from  six  to  ten, 
in  the  summer  time  living  along  the  banks  in  hollow 
trees  or  under  overhanging  roots. 

Although  they  are  nocturnal  in  their  habits  they 
are  constantly  seen  swimming  about  in  the  day  time. 
They  are  easy  to  trap,  the  usual  way  being  to  set  the 

211 


Bait  for  Mushrats 

trap  on  a  piece  of  dead  wood  sticking  out  from  the 
shore  into  the  water.  If  you  set  the  trap  on  the 
shore  where  there  is  a  muskrat  sUde,  put  the  ring 
over  a  stake  driven  into  the  ground  in  deep  water, 
and  then  drive  down  another  stake  just  beyond  it 
so  that  the  muskrat  in  swimming  about  gets  the  chain 
twisted  around  the  two  stakes  and  drowns.  For  bait 
use  fish  scented  with  musk  or  fish  oil.  Often  when 
a  trap  is  set  on  a  log  a  piece  of  white  alder  whittled 
off  so  that  the  white  color  will  attract  his  attention, 
is  all  that  is  necessary. 

Trapping  for  Beaver 

Beavers  belong  to  the  same  family  as  muskrats 
and  are  practically  muskrats  on  a  larger  scale.  They 
are  divided  into  two  varieties,  dam  beavers  and  bank 
beavers.  The  dam  beavers  live  in  houses  similar 
to  muskrat  houses,  but  larger  and  stronger,  the  dams 
being  built  to  get  a  sufficient  supply  of  water  to  sur- 
roynd  these  houses.  The  bank  beavers  live  on  the 
banks  of  streams  and  ponds,  in  holes  Uned  with  grass 
and  leaves,  their  houses  being  entered  like  the  dam 
beavers  three  or  four  feet  under  water.  Both  va- 
rieties have  the  same  characteristics,  and  feed  almost 
entirely  at  night.  In  the  spring  they  leave  their 
houses  and  during  the  summer  roam  about,  feeding 
on  aquatic  plants,  various  kinds  of  herbage,  and  such 
berries  as  grow  near  their  haunts.  In  travelUng 
about  they  have  particular  routes  which  they  follow, 
and  on  their  return  in  the  autumn  repair  their 
houses,  and  rebuild  their  dams.    At  this  time  they  fell 

212 


Setting  a  Trap  for  Beavers 

with  their  sharp  teeth,  willows,  aspens,  poplars,  birch, 
and  alders  for  food  during  the  winter,  which  they  cut 
into  short  lengths  and  sink  in  the  water  near  their 
homes,  taking  them  into  the  houses  to  eat  as  needed. 

When  trapping  beavers,  find  a  feeding  ground 
some  distance  from  a  beaver  dam  where  branches  and 
trunks  of  trees  have  been  cut  into  short  lengths,  and 
then  locate  the  beaver  path  leading  to  the  water. 
In  the  shallow  water  where  the  beavers  get  ashore 
set  your  trap,  going  there  either  in  a  canoe  or  by  wad- 
ing along  the  shore,  as  the  beaver  is  a  shy  animal  and 
afraid  of  human  scent  or  signs.  Be  sure  not  to  molest 
anything  near  the  bank,  and  if  you  touch  the  shore 
sprinkle  the  place  with  water.  In  setting  the  trap 
take  care  to  set  it  so  that  the  beaver  will  be  drowned 
at  once  or  he  will  alarm  the  others  and  they  will 
abandon  their  houses  and  leave  the  locality.  A  good 
way  to  set  a  trap  is  to  fill  a  meal  sack  two-thirds  full 
of  stones  and  then  twist  the  top  of  the  sack  through 
the  ring  on  the  chain,  doubhng  it  back  and  tying  it 
so  that  the  ring  cannot  slip  off.  Then  get  a  pole  the 
size  of  your  wrist  at  the  butt  and  drive  the  staple  of 
the  chain  into  the  end  of  it.  Set  the  trap  in  shallow 
water  where  the  beaver  path  is,  and  sink  the  pole  by 
putting  the  sack  of  stones  on  top  of  it  the  length  of 
the  chain  further  out  in  the  water.  The  trap,  sack, 
and  pole,  being  under  water,  will  not  attract  the 
beaver's  attention,  and  when  he  is  caught  and  drags 
the  trap  into  deep  water  you  will  be  able  to  find  him 
by  the  pole,  the  end  of  which  will  rise  to  the  surface 
when  the  sack  of  stones  is  off  it.    After  setting  the 

213 


Trapping  in  Winter 

trap  dig  some  mud  out  of  the  water  with  your  paddle 
and  cover  the  trap  with  it.  Also  sprinkle  beaver 
musk  on  some  mud  and  lay  it  on  the  beaver  path  or 
sUde. 

Beavers  are  also  caught  by  breaking  away  a  part 
of  their  dam  a  few  inches  below  the  surface  while  the 
beavers  are  in  their  houses  during  the  day,  and  then 
setting  a  trap  there.  As  they  send  sentinels  out  at 
night  to  watch  these  dams  the  break  is  detected,  and 
if  the  trap  is  properly  set  a  beaver  is  almost  sure  to 
be  caught,  but  as  the  capture  of  one  generally  fright- 
ens away  the  others  few  trappers  try  to  get  them  in 
this  way.  In  the  winter  time  they  can  also  be  caught 
by  setting  a  trap  where  they  keep  their  supply  of 
wood.  This  is  done  by  driving  into  the  ground  two 
rows  of  sticks  which  lead  to  the  trap,  and  then  cover- 
ing the  hole  which  you  have  cut  through  the  ice  with 
brush  and  snow. 

Trapping  for  Skunks 

Skunks  are  nocturnal  animals  and  feed  on  worms, 
bugs,  grasshoppers,  frogs,  mice,  young  birds,  and 
birds'  eggs.  They  are  not  crafty  animals,  and  it  re- 
quhes  no  great  skill  to  trap  them.  Look  for  them 
among  rocks  on  some  rise  of  ground  or  in  a  tangle  of 
underbrush  where  there  are  holes,  as  they  are  lazy 
creatures  and  will  take  the  nest  of  any  animal  already 
made,  if  they  can  find  one,  a  skunk  often  killing  a 
rabbit  and  hving  in  its  hole  until  hunger  drives  him 
out.  Their  prevailing  color  is  black  and  white,  some 
varieties  being  largely  white,  and  others  largely  black, 

214 


The  Food  of  Foxes 

and  as  they  walk  with  their  backs  curved  and  with 
tails  erect  they  are  apparently  proud  of  their  beauty. 
If  you  find  any  black  or  white  hairs  near  a  hole  look 
for  droppings  a  little  distance  away  and  set  your  trap 
between  the  hole  and  the  droppings.  If  you  set  your 
trap  in  a  hollow  log  you  need  have  no  fear  of  putting 
your  hand  in  to  puU  the  skunk  out,  as  he  will  neither 
bite  nor  discharge  while  in  the  log.  But  be  sure  to  hit 
him  across  the  back  and  close  to  the  tail  with  a  club 
when  that  part  of  his  body  appears.  If  a  skunk  gets 
caught  in  your  trap  the  only  thing  to  do  is  to  ap- 
proach him  stealthily,  giving  him  a  sharp  blow  close 
to  the  tail  to  paralyze  his  muscles. 

The  way  to  clean  clothing  after  a  skunk  has 
sprinkled  them  is  to  hold  them  over  a  fire  of  red  cedar 
boughs,  and  then  bury  them  for  a  few  days  or  bury 
them  wTapped  in  fresh  hemlock  boughs. 

Trapping  for  Foxes 

The  fox  belongs  to  the  wolf  f a  mily  and  is  car- 
nivorous in  its  habits.  Of  the  six  varieties  in  the 
United  States  the  red  fox  is  the  most  common,  and 
the  silver  gray  and  black  fox  the  most  valuable,  all 
the  different  varieties  being  about  the  same  size  and 
having  the  same  habits.  They  Uve  in  burrows  often 
stolen  from  other  animals,  or  in  crevices  between 
rocks,  and  bring  forth  their  young,  from  three  to 
nine  in  number,  generally  in  March.  They  feed  on 
grouse,  small  birds,  rabbits,  squirrels,  mice,  fish,  and 
eggs  and  are  particularly  fond  of  wild  grapes,  straw- 
berries and  other  ripe  fruits.     In  getting  their  prey 

215 


The  Cunning  of  Focces 

they  generally  creep  up  stealthily  to  within  springing 
distance,  but  often  pursue  it  with  "the  long  chase," 
as  they  are  fast  runners.  Their  senses  of  sight,  smell, 
and  hearing  are  remarkably  acute,  and  in  natural  cun- 
ning, both  in  escaping  danger  and  in  securing  prey, 
they  show  something  very  near  to  what  we  call  rea- 
soning powers. 

When  setting  a  trap  for  a  fox  select  a  wet,  boggy 
place.  First,  put  some  turf  steps  about  a  foot  apart 
some  distance  into  the  bog,  and  at  the  end  of  these 
steps  put  a  bird  which  you  have  shot,  and  in  place  of 
the  third  step  from  the  end  set  the  trap,  putting  a  thin 
piece  of  turf  on  the  pan,  so  that  this  step  will  look 
like  the  others.  On  the  dry  ground  on  the  edge  of 
the  bog  where  your  steps  begin  put  some  mice  drop- 
pings, if  you  can  find  any,  otherwise  use  fish  oil  for  a 
scent,  and  from  here  make  several  trails  back  into 
the  woods  in  different  directions,  doing  the  same 
thing  along  your  hne  of  steps.  If  the  fox  strikes 
the  trail  he  will  follow  it  up,  and  when  he  comes  to 
the  boggy  ground  will  use  the  turf  steps  as  stepping 
stones,  as  he  is  always  careful  not  to  step  in  water. 
Finding  that  the  first  step  holds  him,  he  will  use  the 
others,  as  they  are  the  right  distance  apart  for  his 
gait,  and  he  steps  on  the  turf  concealing  the  trap. 
Of  course,  this  sounds  logical  and  simple,  but  if  you 
go  to  your  trap  several  times  without  finding  Rey- 
nard there  don't  show  in  your  face  anything  but 
Christian  resignation,  as  Mr.  Fox  is  a  very  intelligent 
member  of  the  community. 

Another  way  is  to  put  a  piece  of  turf  on  the  edge 
216 


Trapping  in  the  Fall 

of  some  stream,  then  a  second  turf  on  the  pan  of  the 
trap,  and  then  the  bait  on  a  rock  further  out  in 
the  stream.  If  you  come  across  a  spring  where  the 
tracks  show  that  a  fox  goes  to  drink,  place  the 
trap  an  inch  under  water,  cover  the  pan  with  a  piece 
of  moss  which  is  just  above  the  water,  and  then  put 
some  bait  just  beyond  in  such  a  position  that  the  fox 
in  reaching  for  the  bait  will  step  on  the  moss. 

Another  way,  if  you  are  camping  out  in  the  fall, 
is  to  make  a  bed  of  dry  grass  or  leaves  two  or  three 
inches  deep  in  some  opening  in  the  woods.  As  a  fox 
has  a  depraved  appetite  for  mice,  if  you  can  find  any 
mice  droppings  scatter  them  about  in  the  grass. 
Then,  for  several  days  throw  bits  of  meat  of  various 
kinds  or  fried  meat  covered  with  honey  onto  these 
leaves  or  grass,  but  do  not  set  your  trap  until  the  fox 
gets  into  the  habit  of  visiting  the  place.  When  you 
get  tired  of  feeding  him,  smoke  two  or  three  traps 
with  feathers  and  hide  them  in  the  grass.  In  making 
these  preparations  always  wear  gloves,  and  always 
take  the  same  path,  never  stopping  or  turning  around 
when  you  throw  your  bait  into  the  grass,  but  making 
a  circle  which  brings  you  back  to  camp,  as  these  shy 
animals  are  on  the  lookout  for  any  suspicious  move- 
ments. Don't  get  discouraged  if  a  fox  does  not  show 
up.  If  you  will  have  enough  patience  it  will  only  be 
a  question^  of  time  before  he  will  go  into  the  grass  for 
the  bits  of  meat.  He  only  wants  to  have  a  good 
think  about  it,  and,  provided  he  does  not  see  any- 
thing to  make  him  suspect  you  have  anything  to  do 
with  the  bait,  you  will  probably  get  him, 

217 


Suggestions  About  Trapjjing 

If  you  will  use  common  sense  and  do  nothing 
unnatural  you  will  find  that  animals  are  not  as  shy 
as  you  think  they  are. 

Wlien  trapping  set  your  traps  in  a  circle,  follow- 
ing lakes,  rivers  and  small  streams,  so  that  in  going 
from  one  to  another  you  get  back  to  the  starting 
point. 

Always  wear  moccasins  so  that  you  will  not  make 
marks  on  the  ground  with  your  feet,  and  always  take 
the  same  route  in  going  to  your  traps. 

Test  the  springs  on  a  trap  before  setting  it,  and 
when  you  set  it  see  that  there  are  no  twigs  on  the 
pan. 

For  land  animals  put  your  trap  where  the  run- 
way of  the  animal  goes  tlu"ough  the  thickest  part  of 
the  woods,  also  where  you  can  inspect  it  without  any 
difficulty. 

Don't  keep  pulHng  up  a  trap  and  trying  other 
places.  Find  a  good  place  to  put  it  and  let  it  re- 
main there. 

As  an  animal  will  often  visit  a  trap  a  dozen  times, 
smell  it  over  and  then  go  away  because  it  has  be- 
come suspicious,  5'^ou  may  have  to  go  to  a  trap  the 
thirteenth  time  before  you  will  find  anything  in  it. 

Never  get  dried  leaves,  dirt,  or  rotten  wood,  to 
cover  your  trap  with,  near  where  you  set  it. 

In  cold  weather  never  cover  your  trap  with  rotten 
wood,  as  it  freezes  easily  and  clogs  the  jaws. 

If  you  come  across  feathers  or  the  remains  of  a 
meal  take  them  with  you  to  cover  the  trap,  or  set 
your  trap  where  they  are. 

218 


Fresh  Bait 

Never  set  a  trap  at  the  entrance  to  a  hole.  Get 
it  well  into  the  hole  and  well  covered,  or  the  animal 
will  see  the  fraud. 

If  you  find  your  bait  is  gone,  and  the  trap  still  set 
don't  disturb  the  trap,  but  put  your  bait  on  the  other 
side  of  it.  If,  however,  your  trap  is  sprung,  set  it 
somewhere  else  near  there. 

To  know  positively  if  you  have  found  a  good 
place  to  set  a  trap  leave  some  bait,  and  see  if  it  is  gone 
in  the  morning. 

Never  let  your  trap  remain  too  long  without  clean- 
ing it,  as  it  will  get  an  iron  smell  of  which  animals  are 
suspicious. 

When  you  have  trapped  an  animal  clean  the  trap 
with  sand  and  water,  and  then  smoke  it  before  re- 
setting it. 

After  you  sink  a  trap  in  the  ground  be  sure  that 
the  surface  of  the  ground  is  level  with  the  rest  of  the 
ground. 

Always  use  fresh  bait  when  resetting  your  trap. 
Cut  the  old  bait  into  small  pieces  and  scatter  it  along 
the  route  of  your  traps. 

Never  set  a  large  trap  without  a  trap  clamp, 
and  never  put  your  hand  on  to  the  pan  of  an  open 
trap. 

If  you  get  an  animal  in  your  trap  reset  it  in  the 
same  place  after  scouring  and  smoking  it. 

Dry  all  skins  in  the  shade,  first  scraping  off  the  fat, 
which  heats  and  spoils  the  hide.  Don't  roll  them 
up  when  dried  but  keep  them  loose  and  flat. 

If  a  deer  gets  his  foot  caught  in  one  of  your  traps, 
219 


Have  Patience 

and  carries  it  off,  you  may  be  sure  that  he  will  soon 
lie  down  to  push  it  off.  Find  the  place,  therefore, 
where  the  deer  lay  down,  and  hunt  for  your  trap 
there. 

Remember  that  the  golden  rule  in  trapping  is 
patience.    Try  it. 


Getting  inco  an  Unfrequented  Country 


220 


CHAPTER   XV 


SOME    SUGGESTIONS    ABOUT    CAMPING    OUT 

Don't  go  on  a  camping  trip  if  you  have  a  surly 
streak  in  your  makeup  or  are  a  lazy  man. 

Don't  go  into  the  woods  if  there  is  something 
on  your  conscience  which 
keeps  it  pricking,  as  na- 
ture is  sure  to  get  you  on 
to  bed  rock  principles. 

Don't  hesitate  to  make 
a  camping  trip  because 
you  think  it  will  cost  too 
much.  No  trip  costs  less. 
Nature  supplies  most 
things  free — wood,  water, 
food,  and  privacy. 

Make  up  your  mind 
that  the  man  who  spells  queerly  when  he  writes 
to  you  and  bears  down  heavily  with  his  lead  pencil  is 
the  man  you  want  for  a  guide. 

Don't  forget  that  old  clothes  well-patched  and 
clean  are  as  good  as  new  ones.  Don't  take  any  cloth- 
ing with  bright  or  white  colors.  Woollen  clothes, 
dark  gray  in  color  and  of  medium  weight,  are  the  best. 

221 


Tump-line  and  Load 


Wet  Moccasins 

Don't  forget  that  two  flannel  shirts  are  better 
than  two  overcoats. 

Remember  that  sixty  pounds  is  all  that  any  man 
can  carry.  More  is  making  a  pack  mule  of  him  when 
the  weight  of  an  hour  is  piled  on  top. 

Don't  take  slippers  or  heavy  boots.  The  lightest 
and  easiest  foot  gear  for  the  woods  is  deer  or  moose 
skin  moccasins. 

Don't  take  a  revolver.  A  pair  of  hght  field 
glasses  are  more  useful  and  less  cumbersome. 

If  you  get  soaking  wet  don't  let  your  modesty  get 
the  best  of  you.  Take  all  your  clothing  off,  wring 
them  out,  put  them  on  again  and  keep  moving.  If 
you  do  this  you  will  keep  warm  and  will  not  catch 
cold. 

Don't  wring  out  flannels  or  woollens  unless  you 
are  going  to  put  them  on.  Hang  them  up  dripping 
wet,  and  they  will  not  shrink. 

Never  put  wet  moccasins  near  a  fire  to  dry.  If 
they  get  wet  and  have  become  hard  by  being  allowed 
to  dry  too  quickly  the  only  thing  to  do  is  to  wet 
them  again  and  then  smoke  them.  Nothing  else  will 
do.  The  best  way  to  get  an  even  color  on  them  is  to 
build  a  smoke  house  and  smoke  them  slowly,  or  set  a 
box  or  the  camp  kettle  over  a  hole  dug  in  the  ground 
and  then  smoke  them.  To  do  it  properly  they  should 
smoke  for  twenty-four  hours.  If  they  are  wet  and 
you  haven't  time  to  smoke  them,  scrape  off  the  water 
with  the  back  of  your  knife,  then  stuiT  them  with 
brush  which  makes  them  keep  their  shape,  and  at  the 
same  time  lets  the  heat  get  inside,  and  hang  them  up 

222 


SnowsJioes 

some  distance  from  the  fire  where  they  can  dry 
slowly. 

If  the  inside  of  your  moccasins  is  wet  take  a 
handful  of  clean  pebbles,  heat  them  in  the  frying- 
pan,  put  them  in  your  shoes  and  then  shake  them 
about. 

Never  dry  snowshoes  near  a  fire,  as  the  heat  takes 
the  life  out  of  the  leather,  and  they  soon  wear  out. 

If  your  leg  breaks  through  the  ice  rub  snow  on 
your  trousers  at  once  and  it  will  absorb  the  water 
before  it  gets  through  them. 

If  you  carry  all  your  matches  in  one  sack  you  may 
be  sure  that  this  sack  will  be  the  one  which  will  get 
wet. 

Don't  leave  your  axe  out  of  doors  on  a  cold  night, 
as  the  edge  is  apt  to  become  brittle,  and  the  first  knot 
it  comes  in  contact  with  will  very  likely  take  a  piece 
out  of  it. 

If  you  keep  your  head  from  getting  hot  and  your 
feet  dry  there  will  be  little  danger  of  sickness.  If  your 
head  gets  hot  put  green  leaves  inside  your  hat. 

Don't  dive  in  strange  places.  Sharp  rocks,  or  a 
jagged  stick  may  be  at  the  bottom,  and  water  which 
looks  inviting  on  top  is  often  full  of  sUmy  weeds, 
which  are  difficult  to  get  out  of.  When  you  go  in 
bathing  it  is  better  to  splash  aroimd  than  to  take 
risks. 

Don't  lie  down  or  sit  down  on  the  ground  even  if 
it  feels  dry.  Sit  on  your  hat,  if  there  is  nothing  else 
to  sit  on,  or  squat,  IncUan  fashion.  All  Indians  know 
the  danger  of  sitting  on  the  ground,  and  army  sta- 

223 


Resighting  Guns 

tistics  show  that  one-half  of  all  camp  sickness  is  from 
doing  just  this  thing. 

Don't  sleep  with  the  moon  shining  on  your  face. 
You  can  get  moon  struck  the  same  as  you  can  get  a 
sunstroke. 

If  your  throat  is  parched,  and  you  can  get  no 
water  put  a  pebble  in  your  mouth.  It  starts  the 
saliva  and  will  quench  your  thirst. 

Don't  let  your  axe  get  in  the  hands  of  your  com- 
panion if  he  has  never  swung  one,  and  don't  lend  him 
your  gun  unless  you  are  wilUng  to  take  chances  that 
there  will  be  no  friction  in  the  friendship. 

Don't  try  to  find  out  if  your  gun  is  loaded  by 
shutting  one  eye,  and  looking  down  the  barrel  with  the 
other. 

Don't  point  your  gun  either  at  yourself  or  at  any 
one  else,  and  don't  carry  it  so  that  it  includes  all  your 
hunting  companions  in  its  range. 

Don't  change  your  gun  if  it  is  a  good  one.  Change 
your  methods  of  shooting.  If  you  can't  hit  the  bull's 
eye  don't  blame  the  gun.  The  fault  is  generally  the 
man  behind  the  sights. 

Don't  forget  that  guns  often  need  resighting,  es- 
pecially new  ones.  A  gun  correctly  sighted  at  the 
factory  may  not  be  properly  adjusted  for  the  man 
who  is  to  use  it,  as  the  way  of  taking  aim  differs  with 
different  persons. 

If  you  are  off  for  a  day's  hunt  test  your  cartridges 
by  putting  each  one  in  your  gun  before  you  put  it 
into  your  cartridge  belt.  You  will  not  then  get  a 
misfit  jammed  into  the  barrel. 

224 


Ci 


Careless  Shooting 

Don't  practise  target  shooting  on  a  hunting  trip. 
Wait  until  you  are  away  from  the  haunts  of  game. 

When  shooting  birds  on  the  wing  don't  stop  to 
consider  what  not  to  do,  but  only  think  of  what  you 
are  to  do. 

If  you  will  make  it  a  habit  to  sight  your  gun  on 
birds  out  of  range  it  will  give  you  good  practice. 

Don't  forget  to  take  the  charge  out  of  your  gun 
when  you  come  into  camp.  If  you  don't  do  it  and 
it  falls  there  may  be  an  accident. 

Clean  your  gun  every  night,  but  don't  polish  it 
enough  to  make  it  shine. 

Don't  leave  your  paddles,  axe  or  gun  where  a 
hedgehog  can  get  at  them  or  he  will  gnaw  the  wood 
for  the  salt  which  your  hand  has  left  on  it. 

Remember  that  a  hedgehog  is  a  good  barometer, 
as  he  always  shows  up  when  a  storm  is  coming. 

When  putting  your  gun  into  a  canoe  don't  do 
it  in  such  a  way  that  the  trigger  will  hit  against 
something  and  land  a  charge  of  shot  in  your  stomach. 

Never  carry  your  gun  by  the  barrel  in  cold  weather, 
as  it  is  liable  to  burst  where  your  hand  heated  the 
steel  when  you  fire  it. 

Don't  approach  game  from  the  windward  side. 
Always  circle  to  the  leeward. 

Brush  slanting  across  your  path  is  easier  lifted 
over  your  head  and  dropped  behind  you  than  pushed 
aside. 

Don't  aim  carelessly  or  fire  too  quickly.  Rattled, 
excited,  careless  shooting  seldom  coimts.  Delibera- 
tion and  steadiness  is  what  does  the  business. 

227 


The  Front  Sight 

Don't  ever  fire  until  you  are  sure  that  it  is  not  a 
human  being,  and  keep  in  mind  that  hunters  some- 
times go  on  all  fours. 

Don't  have  the  front  sight  too  coarse  and  over- 
shoot, which  is  the  tendency  of  most  sportsmen. 
Better  too  low  than  too  high. 


Headquarters 

If  you  are  to  have  good  meat  don't  forget  to 
draw  the  entrails  of  the  game  as  soon  as  you  kill  it. 

If  you  are  cornered  in  the  woods  by  some  wild 
animal  don't  run  as  soon  as  you  see  four  legs  and  a 
mouthful  of  teeth.  Face  him,  and  if  necessary,  dodge 
him.  All  animals  are  more  or  less  afraid  of  man, 
and  few  will  start  a  fight  unless  forced  into  it. 

If  you  have  no  candles  you  can  get  enough  hght 
to  prevent  stumbhng  about  in  the  dark  by  winding 
some  pork  rind  around  a  stick,  or  standing  a  piece  of 

228 


Wet  Matches 

pork  on  end  in  a  tin  cup  or  saucer  and  then  light- 
ing it. 

If  your  matches  get  wet  carry  them  under  your 
armpit  until  they  get  dry  again,  and  they  will  Ught 
as  well  as  ever. 

Remember  that  distance  in  the  woods  should 
always  be  spoken  of  in  hours,  as  the  words  feet, 
yards,  and  miles  are  useless  ornamentations  of  civili- 
zation. Four  hours  away  means  something,  but  four 
miles  away  means  nothing,  as  it  may  be  four  miles 
through  a  windfall. 


229 


CHAPTER   XVI 


SOME  REMEDIES  FOR  SICKNESS  OR  ACCIDENTS  IN  CAMP 


There  is  nothing  so  necessary  to  have  in  camp 
as  a  medicine  case  with  medicines  for  the  common 
cases  of  illness,  and  a  small  case  of  surgical  instru- 
ments. If  you  do  not  take 
these  with  you  get  a  pair 
of  dressing  forceps,  a  pair  of 
dissecting  forceps,  a  pair  of 
surgeon's  scissors,  a  sur- 
geon's knife,  some  straight 
and  curved  needles,  some 
silk  thread,  some  prepared 
catgut,  a  No.  10  catheter, 
some  bandages,  gauze, 
TaUng  an  Injured  Man  Out  ^heese  cloth,  adhesive  plas- 
ter, surgeon's  soap,  absor- 
bent cotton,  vaseline,  safety  pins,  some  two-grain 
quinine  pills,  some  three-grain  cascara  pills  for  a 
cathartic,  some  camphor  and  opium  pills  for  diarrhoea, 
and  some  corrosive  sublimate  tablets  with  which  to 
make  antiseptic  solutions,  using  one  tablet  with  a 
pint  of  water.  In  case  of  any  serious  accident  or 
illness  send  at  once  to  the  nearest  settlement  for  a 

230 


Remedies 

physician,  first  writing  out  as  well  as  you  can  a  de- 
scription of  the  case,  so  that  the  doctor  may  know 
what  instruments  or  medicine  to  bring  back  with 
him.  Whatever  the  trouble  is  keep  cool.  Do  not 
attempt  to  do  much,  but  wait  until  the  doctor  ar- 
rives. If  it  is  an  accident,  handle  the  person  gently 
and  quietly.  Loosen  his  clothes,  especially  his  collar 
and  belt,  and  if  he  has  fainted  have  his  head  lower 
than  liis  feet.  If  he  is  vomiting  put  him  on  his 
side  with  his  head  low  enough  to  prevent  the  vom- 
ited matter  getting  into  his  lungs.  If  his  clothing 
covers  the  wound  cut  it  where  the  seam  is,  and  only 
remove  enough  to  inspect  the  wound.  If  there  is 
much  bleeding,  stop  it  before  the  wound  is  dressed. 
If  stimulants  are  necessary  give  hot  water,  tea  or 
coffee.  Do  not  use  any  alcoholic  stimulants  unless 
he  does  not  revive,  and  then  give  a  teaspoonful  of 
brandy  or  whiskey  in  a  tablespeonful  of  hot  water 
every  minute  or  two.  If  the  injury  is  on  the  head  do 
not  give  stimulants  of  any  kind. 

Bites  and  Stings  of  Insects 

Put  on  salt  and  water,  or  make  a  paste  with  soda 
and  water,  or  rub  the  wound  with  a  raw  onion,  or 
with  ammonia,  camphor,  or  tar  soap,  or  make  an 
ointment  of  three  tablespoonfuls  of  tallow,  two  table- 
spoonfuls  of  camphor,  and  one  teaspoonful  of  creo- 
sote. Put  this  in  a  tightly  corked  bottle,  and  use 
when  needed.  Another  good  ointment  is  made  by 
mixing  four  tablespoonfuls  of  pine  tar,  four  of  castor 
oil  or  tallow,  and  one  of  pennyroyal.    Let  this  sim- 

231 


Remedies 

mer  over  a  slow  fire  until  it  has  dissolved,  and  then 
keep  it  in  a  tightly  corked  bottle. 

Bites  of  Non-poisonous  Snakes 

Apply  salt  and  water,  or  plaster  the  place  where 
the  bite  is  with  mud.  There  is  no  necessity  for  drink- 
ing whiskey.    Cut  it  out — the  whiskey  not  the  wound. 

Bites  of  Poisonous  Snakes 

Tie  a  piece  of  cloth  above  the  wound  to  stop  the 
circulation  of  blood  and  then  suck  the  wound.  This 
is  perfectly  safe  to  do  if  you  have  no  cut  in  your 
mouth  or  do  not  swallow  the  poison.  Then  burn  the 
wound  with  a  red  hot  iron  or  cut  it  out  with  your 
knife.  It  requires  nerve,  but  a  Ufe  may  depend  upon 
it.  Then  take  a  strong  drink  of  whiskey,  apply  am- 
monia externally,  and  inject  into  the  rectum  an  enema 
of  warm  water  and  soap  with  two  teaspoonfuls  of 
spirits  of  turpentine  added. 

Bleediiig    (See  Cuts.) 

Bleeding  at  the  Nose 

Do  not  blow  your  nose.  Hold  a  wet  handker- 
chief at  the  back  of  your  neck  and  wash  your  face  in 
cold  water,  or  place  a  wad  of  paper  under  your  upper 
lip.  Then  throw  your  head  forward  and  hold  a 
sponge  soaked  in  water  at  your  nose.  If  these  rem- 
edies fail,  crowd  some  fine  gauze  or  cotton  into  your 
nostrils  and  make  a  plug. 

232 


Remedies 

Blistered  Feet 

Wash  them  in  warm  water  and  then  in  alcohol 
or  in  cold  water  with  a  little  baking  powder  or  soda 
added.  Wipe  them  dry,  and  then  rub  them  with  a 
tallow  candle  or  some  fat.  If  you  do  not  wear  clean 
socks  your  feet  ought  to  blister.  If  you  have  a  long 
tramp  before  you,  soap  shavings  put  into  your  socks 
are  a  good  preventative  for  bUstered  feet. 

Broken  Bones 

If  a  person  has  broken  his  arm  or  leg  keep  him 
perfectly  quiet,  after  making  him  as  comfortable  as 
possible,  and  handle  the  fractiu'ed  part  as  carefully 
as  you  would  a  delicate  piece  of  china.  Do  not  at- 
tempt to  set  the  bone,  but  send  for  a  doctor,  in  the 
meantime  putting  the  arm  or  leg  in  a  splint.  (See 
Splints.)  If  the  bone  has  made  a  flesh  wound  through 
the  skin,  or  the  bone  has  been  broken  by  a  rifle  ball 
and  there  is  a  large  flesh  wound,  cover  the  wound 
with  cotton  cloth  or  cheese  cloth,  which  has  been 
made  antiseptic  by  dipping  it  in  a  solution  of  corro- 
sive sublimate  or  in  some  boiling  water  to  which 
baking  soda  has  been  added.  Then  wrap  absorbent 
cotton  around  it  before  putting  the  splint  on,  wrap- 
ping the  bandage  around  it  in  such  a  way  that  it  will 
prevent  the  broken  ends  moving  upon  each  other. 

If  the  skull  is  broken  put  the  person  on  his  back 
in  some  shady  place  with  his  head  and  shoulders 
slightly  raised  and  keep  him  absolutely  quiet.  If 
there  is  an  open  wound  put  some  cotton  cloth  or 

233 


Remedies 

cheese  cloth,  which  has  been  made  antiseptic  as  above, 
loosely  over  it.  If  there  is  any  fever  put  wet  cloths 
on  his  head. 

If  the  spine  is  dislocated  lay  the  person  on  his 
back.  Never  put  him  on  his  side  or  face,  or  it  may 
be  fatal.     If  he  is  cold  apply  hot  blankets  to  his  body. 

If  the  nose  is  broken  plug  it  with  gauze  to  stop 
the  bleeding. 

If  the  jaw  is  broken  push  the  bone  gently  into 
place,  and  if  there  is  an  open  wound  cover  it  with 
gauze  or  cotton,  made  antiseptic  as  above,  and  then 
put  a  bandage  around  the  jaw. 

If  the  collar  bone  is  broken  the  person  will  know 
it  by  a  pain  in  his  shoulder  and  by  the  shoulder  drop- 
ping. By  holding  the  elbow  up  it  will  reheve  the 
weight  from  the  collar  bone.  When  you  get  him  into 
camp  lay  him  on  his  back  on  a  folded  blanket,  but  do 
not  put  a  pillow  under  his  head.  If  it  is  necessary  to 
take  him  out  of  the  woods  put  a  cotton  wad  in  his 
armpit  and  bandage  the  arm  to  the  side  of  the  body 
or  put  the  arm  in  a  sling. 

If  the  shoulder  blade  is  broken  put  the  forearm 
across  the  chest  with  the  fingers  on  the  other  shoulder, 
and  then  bandage  the  arm  to  the  body. 

If  a  rib  is  broken  it  will  pain  the  person  when  he 
takes  a  long  breath.  Put  him  on  his  back,  resting  a 
little  on  the  uninjured  side,  with  something  under  his 
head  and  chest  so  that  he  will  breathe  easily.  If  it  is 
necessary  to  move  him  bandage  strips  of  adhesive 
plaster  around  his  body,  beginning  at  the  lowest  rib 
and  working  upward,  having  each  strip  lap  over  the 

234 


Remedies 

one  below  it.  If  you  have  no  adhesive  plaster  use 
a  wide  strip  of  cotton  cloth.  After  you  have  put  his 
coat  on  pin  it  up  as  tightly  as  you  can  in  the  back. 

If  the  leg  is  broken  above  the  knee  lay  the  person 
on  his  back,  with  his  head  and  shoulders  slightly 
raised.  Draw  the  leg  out  straight,  and  after  padding 
it  with  cotton  or  towels,  cut  a  small  saphng  long 
enough  to  reach  from  the  foot  to  the  armpit,  and 
fasten  it  at  the  ankle,  the  knee  and  waist.  If  it  is 
necessary  to  move  the  person  bind  both  legs  firmly 
together. 

If  the  leg  is  broken  below  the  knee  lay  the  person 
on  his  back  and  put  a  pillow  lengthwise  under  it. 
Then  put  a  board  or  a  hewed  sapling  on  the  under 
side  of  the  pillow  to  stiffen  it,  and  bandage  the  pillow 
and  the  board  or  sapling  firmly  to  the  leg.  If  you 
have  no  pillow  make  one  by  stuffing  a  bag  with  grass. 
If  the  person  has  to  be  moved  bind  both  legs  together. 

If  the  knee  pan  is  broken  put  the  person  on  his 
back,  and  straighten  out  the  leg  on  a  padded  splint 
which  reaches  from  the  heel  to  the  hip,  putting  some 
cotton  or  a  towel  under  the  knee  and  the  heel.  Then 
bandage  the  splint  on  at  the  ankle,  at  the  upper  part 
of  the  leg,  and  above  and  below  the  knee  pan. 

If  the  foot  is  broken  make  a  splint  of  two  pieces 
of  wood  held  together  at  right  angles,  and  after  pad- 
ding the  foot  with  cotton,  bind  the  splint  to  the  side 
of  the  foot  and  the  leg. 

If  the  upper  arm  is  broken  make  three  spUnts,  one 
long  enough  to  reach  from  the  shoulder  to  the  elbow 
to  go  on  the  outside  of  the  arm,  one  to  go  on  the 

235 


Remedies 

inner  side  of  the  arm  and  one  on  the  back  of  the  arm. 
Pad  the  arm  from  the  armpit  to  the  elbow  with  cot- 
ton, towels  or  newspapers  wrapped  in  cloth,  and 
after  bandaging  on  the  spUnts  put  the  forearm  in  a 
sling  and  bind  the  arm  to  the  body. 

If  the  forearm  is  broken  use  two  padded  spUnts 
long  enough  to  reach  from  the  elbow  to  the  finger 
tips.  Bandage  one  of  these  spUnts  on  the  palm  side 
of  the  arm  and  the  other  on  the  back  of  the  arm,  and 
then,  after  putting  the  forearm  in  a  sling,  bandage  it 
across  the  body. 

If  the  wrist  is  broken  make  a  cotton  pad  long 
enough  to  reach  from  the  fingers  well  up  the  forearm, 
and  rest  the  palm  of  the  hand  on  it.  Put  a  similar 
pad  on  the  back  of  the  hand,  and  after  bandaging 
on  a  splint  put  the  arm  in  a  sling. 

If  the  hand  is  broken  put  a  cotton  pad  on  the 
palm,  and  over  it  a  thin  splint  long  enough  to  reach 
from  the  tips  of  the  fingers  to  the  forearm.  After 
binding  this  splint  in  place  put  the  arm  in  a  sling 
with  the  hand  higher  than  the  elbow. 

If  a  finger  is  broken  make  a  splint  of  cardboard  or 
a  thin  piece  of  wood  long  enough  to  reach  from  the 
tip  of  the  finger  to  the  wrist.  Cover  the  finger  with 
gauze  or  cotton,  and  after  binding  on  the  splint,  sup- 
port the  hand  in  a  sling. 

If  one  of  the  joints  is  broken  it  is  a  serious  matter, 
and  must  be  carefully  attended  to.  Put  the  injured 
joint  on  a  pillow,  moving  it  as  little  as  possible,  and 
after  covering  it  with  gauze  or  cotton  apply  wet 
cloths. 

236 


Remedies 
Bruises 

If  the  bruise  is  a  slight  one  wash  it  with  cold  water 
or  arnica  and  water.  If  it  is  a  severe  one  wash  it 
with  hot  water,  and  cover  it  with  gauze  dipped  in 
hot  water.  If  it  has  given  a  shock  to  the  system 
cover  the  person  with  warm  blankets,  and  put  bottles 
of  hot  water  against  his  body.  Then  give  him  hot 
coffee  or  any  hot  drink  which  is  not  alcohoUc. 

Bums  and  Scalds 

Use  vaseline,  baking  soda,  bread,  the  white  of  an 
egg,  flour  and  water,  butter,  grease  or  fat,  or  mix 
flour  and  soda  with  fat,  or  soap  with  sugar  and  make 
it  into  a  paste,  or  put  a  teaspoonful  of  baking  powder 
into  a  pint  of  warm  water,  and  pour  it  on  to  a  piece 
of  gauze  and  put  this  on  the  burn  or  scald,  covering 
it  with  cotton  and  a  bandage.  If  the  burn  or  scald  is 
a  severe  one,  saturate  the  gauze  with  sweet  oil,  salad 
oil,  olive  oil,  vaseline,  or  the  white  of  an  egg.  If 
none  of  these  are  in  camp  sprinkle  it  with  starch, 
flour,  tooth  powder,  or  cover  it  with  moist  earth  or 
clay.  If  your  clothes  have  caught  on  fire  roll  over 
on  the  ground  until  the  flames  are  extinguished, 
or  have  some  one  put  a  blanket  or  a  coat  around 
you  and  smother  the  flames.  Then  have  some  one 
pour  water  over  you  to  prevent  any  smouldering 
embers  burning  into  your  flesh.  If  any  part  of  the 
clothing  sticks  to  the  body  pour  on  lukewarm  water 
after  adding  a  little  baking  powder,  and  let  the  cloth- 
ing remain  until  it  comes  off  easily.    Never  let  a  burn 

237 


Remedies 

be  exposed  to  the  air  but  cover  it  at  once,  as  the  pain 
is  intense,  and  if  it  is  a  large  one  dress  only  a  small 
portion  of  it  at  a  time. 

Chapped  Hands 

Bathe  the  hands  in  vaseline,  or  in  vinegar  diluted 
with  water,  rubbing  it  well  into  the  skin. 

Chills 

Mix  pepper  and  ginger  in  hot  water  and  drink  it. 
Then  get  into  bed  with  a  bottle  of  hot  water  at  your 
feet. 

Choking 

Force  yourself  to  swallow  pieces  of  dry  bread  or 
drink  some  water.  If  this  does  not  bring  relief  push 
the  substance  down  with  a  spoon  handle  or  put  your 
forefinger  down  your  throat  far  enough  to  make  your- 
self gag  and  throw  it  up.  Getting  on  your  hands  and 
knees  and  having  some  one  slap  your  back  will  some- 
times bring  the  substance  out  of  the  throat.  (See  also 
Foreign  Substance  in  the  Throat.) 

Colds 

Drink  plenty  of  ginger  tea.  Cover  yourself  well 
at  night,  take  a  quinine  pill  every  two  hours,  and  see 
that  your  clothing  is  warm  in  the  morning.  But 
better  than  any  medicine  is  to  get  into  bed  with  a 
bottle  of  hot  water  at  your  feet  and  stay  there  until  the 
cold  is  gone. 

238 


Remedies 

Cold  Feet 

If  your  feet  are  sensitive  to  the  cold  put  cayenne 
pepper  in  your  shoes. 

Colic 

Put  a  bottle  of  hot  water,  or  hot  plates,  or  a  mus- 
tard plaster  where  the  pain  is. 

Constipation 

Use  cathartic  pills,  eat  plenty  of  preserves  and 
drink  frequently. 

Convulsions 

Put  the  person  into  as  hot  water  as  he  can  bear, 
adding  hotter  water  from  time  to  time,  at  the  same 
time  rubbing  the  body  to  stimulate  the  blood  and 
putting  cold,  wet  cloths  on  his  head. 

Cramps 

If  the  cramp  is  in  the  muscles  of  the  leg  rub  the 
place  where  the  cramp  is  vigorously,  then  straighten 
the  leg  out  and  bathe  it  in  hot  water.  If  the  cramp 
continues  get  into  bed  and  put  a  mustard  plaster  or 
a  bottle  of  hot  water  where  the  cramp  is,  and  another 
at  your  feet.  If  you  are  in  the  water  kick  out  with 
your  leg  to  extend  the  muscles.  If  the  cramp  is  in 
your  stomach  put  hot  cloths,  or  a  mustard  plaster,  or 
a  bottle  of  hot  water  on  your  stomach  and  another 
at  your  feet. 

Crushed  Arm  or  Leg 

Remove  the  clothing  only  where  the  injury  is, 
239 


Remedies 

and  then  stop  the  bleeding  if  it  is  excessive.  (See 
Cuts.)  After  this  put  several  thicknesses  of  antisep- 
tic gauze  or  cotton  rather  loosely  on  the  injured  part, 
and  wrap  it  with  bandages. 

Crushed  Fingers  or  Toes 

Gently  mould  them  into  place.  If  a  finger  or  toe 
hangs  by  a  thread  put  it  back  in  position  and  the 
surgeon  may  save  it.  Then  cover  it  with  antiseptic 
gauze  and  cotton  and  wrap  it  with  a  bandage,  but 
not  too  tight,  and  put  on  a  splint. 

Cuts 

If  it  is  a  sUght  one  bind  a  piece  of  antiseptic  cotton 
or  gauze  tightly  around  it,  and  after  it  has  stopped 
bleeding  loosen  the  cloth.  If  the  cut  is  a  severe  one 
put  the  person  on  his  back,  and  if  it  is  on  the  arm 
or  the  leg  elevate  it.  Wash  the  wound  with  a  warm, 
antiseptic  solution,  and  then  press  the  edges  of  the 
wound  together,  holding  the  thumb,  if  possible,  on 
the  artery  which  supphes  the  blood.  After  the  wound 
has  stopped  bleeding  cover  it  with  antiseptic  gauze 
and  bandage  it.  If  you  cannot  stop  the  bleeding  tie 
a  strip  of  cloth  or  a  handkerchief  above  the  wound, 
and  twist  it.  If  this  does  not  stop  it  bind  another 
strip  of  cloth  below  the  woimd  to  stop  the  flow  of 
blood  coming  that  way.  If  an  artery  has  been  cut 
the  blood  will  come  out  in  spurts.  In  all  such  cases 
press  with  your  thimib  or  forefinger  directly  on  the 
wound   to   temporarily   stop   the   bleeding.     If   the 

240 


Remedies 

wound  is  a  large  one  crowd  a  wad  of  antiseptic  gauze 
into  it.  If  you  are  obliged  to  use  a  twisted  bandage 
do  not  let  it  remain  too  long  or  there  will  be  an  arrest 
of  circulation  and  gangrene  may  follow.  With  a 
twisted  bandage  the  bleeding  will  usually  stop  in  ten 
or  fifteen  minutes,  when  the  bandage  should  be  loos- 
ened. If  the  bleeding  begins  again,  tighten  up  the 
bandage.  When  the  bleeding  has  stopped  give  the 
person  hot  coffee,  tea  or  milk,  and  keep  him  warm 
with  hot  bottles  and  blankets.  Never  allow  an  open 
wound  to  V)e  exposed  longer  than  necessary  to  stop 
the  bleeding,  and  never  cover  it  with  anything  which 
is  not  clean. 

If  the  cut  is  on  the  scalp  make  a  pad  of  antiseptic 
cloth  or  gauze  and  bind  it  tightly  on  the  head,  then 
press  down  in  different  places  on  the  scalp  with 
your  thumb  near  the  wound  until  you  locate  the 
artery,  keeping  your  thumb  there  until  the  bleeding 
stops. 

If  the  cut  is  on  the  temple  press  with  the  thumb 
on  the  bone  just  in  front  of  the  ear. 

If  the  cut  is  on  the  leg  or  foot  put  the  knot  of  the 
bandage  on  the  inside  of  the  groin  and  twist  the 
bandage. 

If  the  cut  is  on  the  palm  of  the  hand  cover  a  small 
stone  or  a  piece  of  wood  with  cotton  and  hold  it 
tight. 

Diarrhcea 

Do  not  use  any  remedies  until  you  feel  sure  that 
the  irritating  substance  which  causes  the  diarrhoea 

241 


Remedies 

is  out  of  your  system.  Then  use  camphor  and  opium 
pills  which  will  relieve  the  pain  and  check  too  frequent 
movements  of  the  bowels,  or  fire-brown  a  little  flour 
and  add  to  it  two  teaspoonfuls  of  vinegar  and  one  of 
salt  and  drink  it.  For  a  simple  case  put  a  teaspoon- 
ful  of  vinegar  and  a  teaspoonful  of  salt  in  a  cup  of  cold 
water  and  drink  it,  or  take  a  hot  drink  of  ginger  and 
water  every  few  hours.  Sometimes  a  teaspoonful  of 
sweet  oil  will  relieve  the  irritation.  Don't  eat  any 
fruit  or  pastry.  If  you  have  dysentery,  which  usually 
follows  severe  cases  of  diarrhoea,  stay  in  bed,  and  put 
a  mustard  plaster  on  your  abdomen  and  another  at 
your  feet. 

Dislocaticms 

If  a  joint  in  a  finger  or  toe  is  thrown  out  of  posi- 
tion it  can  generally  be  put  back  by  pulUng  on  it  and 
at  the  same  time  pressing  where  the  dislocation  is. 
If  it  cannot  be  pushed  back  use  a  spUnt,  and  after 
lifting  up  the  hand  or  foot  so  that  the  pain  from  the 
pressure  of  blood  will  be  lessened,  apply  cold  cloths 
until  a  surgeon  arrives.  If  the  hip,  elbow  or  shoulder 
is  dislocated  make  the  person  as  comfortable  as 
possible  and  wait  until  the  surgeon  arrives. 

Drowning 

When  a  person  is  drowning,  encourage  him  by 
telling  him  that  you  will  save  him  and  it  may  prevent 
him  from  getting  demoralized.  In  rescuing  a  drown- 
ing person  don't  let  him  catch  hold  of  you.     Watch 

242 


Remedies 

your  chance,  seize  him  by  the  hair,  and  pull  him  over 
on  his  back.  If  he  gets  a  dangerous  hold  on  you 
strike  him  in  the  face,  or  push  him  under  water,  and 
keep  him  there,  if  necessary,  until  he  becomes  un- 
conscious and  his  hold  is  loosened.  When  you 
get  control  of  him  hold  him  on  his  back  with  one 
hand,  and  with  your  other  hand  and  your  legs  swim 
ashore. 

As  soon  as  you  get  ashore  strip  off  his  clothing 
from  the  waist  up.  Then  lay  him  on  the  ground 
face  downward,  and  tickle  his  throat  with  a  straw 
or  a  feather,  or  slap  him  on  his  chest  and  the  soles 
.of  his  feet  to  get  out  whatever  water  may  be  in 
his  lungs  which  interferes  with  his  breatliing.  If 
this  does  not  do  it  put  him  on  his  stomach  across 
a  log,  or  across  your  knee,  or  on  a  roll  made  of  your 
coat,  having  his  head  lower  than  his  body,  with  his 
forehead  on  his  arm  so  that  his  head  will  be  thrown 
back. 

.  Cleanse  his  mouth  of  any  dirt  or  mucus,  and  draw 
his  tongue  out  with  your  handkerchief,  holding  it 
with  your  thumb  and  forefinger.  This  is  important 
as  it  opens  the  windpipe.  While  you  are  holding 
the  tongue  roll  the  body  gently  from  side  to  side  to 
force  the  water  out  and  relieve  the  pressure  on  the 
lungs.  If  this  does  not  succeed  have  some  one  push 
several  times  against  his  sides  with  a  forward  move- 
ment. 

After  this  turn  him  over  on  his  back,  having  the 
log  or  the  roll  under  his  shoulders,  the  head  thrown 
back,  and  the  throat  stretched  out  so  that  the  air  can 

243 


Remedies 

get  into  his  lungs.  Kneel  at  his  head  and  start  arti- 
ficial breathing  by  folding  his  forearms  across  his 
stomach,  then  raise  them  over  his  head  to  a  perpen- 
dicular position,  then  draw  them  back  until  they  are 
straight  out  horizontally,  then  forward,  then  down 
to  his  sides,  and  then  press  them  against  his  lower 
ribs  to  produce  a  bellows  movement  upon  the  lungs. 
Do  not  hurry,  but  take  three  or  four  seconds  to  each 
series  of  motions  and  don't  give  it  up  until  you  have 
worked  for  at  least  three  hours,  as  persons  have  been 
brought  back  to  Ufe  after  that  length  of  time.  It  is 
also  well  to  excite  breathing  by  putting  smelling  salts, 
camphor  or  ammonia  to  his  nostrils  and  applying, 
warm  cloths  to  his  feet.  As  soon  as  he  shows  signs 
of  life  rub  him  and  then  wrap  him  in  warm  blankets. 
After  this  give  him  brandy  or  spirits  in  small  doses 
to  encourage  circulation,  but  be  careful  not  to  strangle 
liim. 

Remember  that  if  you  yourself  are  in  danger  of 
drowning  the  first  thing  to  do  is  to  lie  on  your  back 
and  let  your  head  sink  until  only  your  nose  and 
mouth  are  above  water.  If  you  work  your  hands 
like  paddles,  and  kick  with  your  feet  you  can  stay 
above  water  for  several  hours  even  with  your  clothes 
on.  It  simply  requires  a  little  courage  and  enough 
strength  of  mind  not  to  lose  your  head.  If  you  can 
get  hold  of  a  board  or  anything  floating  in  the  water 
you  can  keep  your  head  above  the  water  without 
turning  on  your  back,  by  holding  on  to  it  and  only 
keeping  enough  of  your  head  out  of  water  to  be  able 
to  breathe,  as  the  human  body,  when  under  water, 

244 


Remedies 

weighs  little  more  than  a  pound.    If  you  will  do  this 
you  do  not  need  to  be  an  expert  swimmer. 

Earache 

Put  a  few  drops  of  warm  oil  in  the  ear,  or  sjringe  it 
out  with  warm  water,  and  then  put  in  a  piece  of  cot- 
ton. If  there  is  something  in  the  ear,  jump  up  and 
down  on  one  foot  with  your  head  bent  well  forward. 
If  an  insect  gets  into  the  ear,  syringe  the  ear  out  with 
warm  water.  Sometimes  the  insect  will  come  out  if 
you  hold  a  Hghted  match  or  candle  close  to  the  ear. 

Emetics 

To  produce  vomiting  push  your  forefinger  as  far 
down  your  throat  as  possible,  and  if  necessary  repeat 
this  several  times.  If  this  does  not  do  it  and  you 
have  nothing  better  use  gunpowder  dissolved  in 
water,  or  a  teaspoonful  of  salt  or  mustard  in  a  cup 
of  cold  water.  Take  two  or  three  drinks  of  it  and 
then  twice  as  much  warm  water.  Sometimes  a  per- 
son can  be  made  to  vomit  by  tickUng  his  throat  with 
a  feather.  When  a  person  is  vomiting  support  his 
head  with  your  hand  and  hold  it  well  forward  so  that 
the  vomited  matter  will  not  be  swallowed  again. 

Enemaia 

Inject  into  the  rectum  warm  water  and  soap. 

Inflamed  Eyes 

Put  a  few  thicknesses  of  cloth  wet  in  cold  water 
on  the  eyes  and  change  them  frequently,  or  put  hot 

245 


Remedies 

tea  leaves  or  raw  fresh  meat  on  your  eyes  when  you 
go  to  bed,  and  then  tie  a  handkerchief  over  them. 
In  the  morning  wash  yom*  eyes  with  warm  water. 

Fever 

Take  quinine  pills,  get  into  bed  and  keep  warm, 
but  do  not  have  enough  covering  over  you  to  get 
heated.  Eat  nothing.  The  principal  tiling  is  to 
keep  warm  and  dry.  Keep  the  bowels  open  in  the 
same  way  as  for  constipation,  and  drink  a  little  milk. 

Foreign  Substance  in  the  Ei^e 

This  can  often  be  removed  by  rubbing  the  other 
eye  in  order  to  make  both  eyes  water.  If  the  speck 
can  be  seen  it  can  generally  be  taken  out  by  twisting  a 
small  piece  of  gauze  or  cloth  around  a  toothpick  and 
drawing  it  over  the  speck,  or  by  twisting  up  a  piece 
of  paper  Uke  a  lamp  lighter,  and  after  wetting  the 
tip  of  it  wiping  it  against  the  speck.  If  the  foreign 
substance  has  left  an  irritation  put  a  teaspoonful  of 
salt  in  a  pint  of  warm  water,  and  wash  the  eye  with 
it.  If  the  substance  is  under  the  eyelid  where  it  can- 
not be  seen,  sometimes  a  grain  of  flaxseed  put  under 
the  lid  will  remove  it.  If  this  does  not  do  it  and  it  is 
under  the  upper  lid  roll  the  eye  around  after  pulling 
the  lid  down  and  out,  and  if  it  is  under  the  lower  lid 
Hft  the  Ud  up  and  out.  This  makes  the  tears  iflow 
and  often  washes  the  particle  into  the  corner  of  the 
eye  or  on  to  the  edge  of  the  hd  where  it  can  be  re- 
moved. If  this  does  not  succeed  turn  the  fid  over 
a  match  or  tooth-pick,  so  that  you  will  be  able  to  see 
the  speck.  .       ' 

246 


Remedies 

Foreign  Substance  in  the  Flesh 

Put  the  point  of  your  knife  under  it  and  draw  it 
out  with  your  thumb  or  forefinger.  Be  sure  that  no 
part  of  it  has  broken  off  and  is  still  in  the  wound.  If 
a  porcupine  quill  gets  into  your  flesh  put  kerosene  oil 
on  it,  as  it  kills  the  quill  and  prevents  it  working 
further  in. 

Foreign  Substance  in  the  Nose 

Blow  your  nose  vigorously,  keeping  the  nostril 
which  is  clear  closed.  If  this  does  not  succeed  tickle 
your  nose  and  make  yourself  sneeze,  or  take  a  long, 
full  breath,  and  then  have  some  one  give  you  a  sharp 
slap  on  the  back  between  the  shoulders,  or  push  it 
back  through  the  nose  and  cough  it  out. 

Foreign  Substance  in  the  Throat 

Slapping  the  person  on  the  back,  while  he  bends 
forward  with  his  face  well  down,  will  often  dislodge 
whatever  is  in  the  throat;  or  have  the  person  lie  face 
downward,  and  after  lifting  him,  so  that  his  feet 
are  higher  than  his  head,  slap  him  on  the  back.  If 
the  substance  can  be  seen  push  your  finger  down 
his  throat,  and  try  to  get  hold  of  it.  Even  if  you 
cannot  get  it,  it  will  often  produce  vomiting  which 
will  expel  it.     (See  Choking.) 

Frost  Bites 

Do  not  go  into  a  warm  room  until  you  have  rubbed 
the  part  which  is  frozen  with  snow  or  ice  water  and 

247 


Remedies 

restored  the  circulation.  If  you  get  so  chilled  that 
you  feel  drowsy  beat  yourself  unmercifully  with  a 
stick,  and  if  there  is  some  one  with  you  beat  each 
other.  At  all  hazards  keep  awake.  If  you  fall  asleep 
it  is  certain  death. 

Gunshot  Wounds 

Place  the  person  in  a  comfortable  position  and  with 
a  pair  of  forceps  take  out  all  dirt,  bits  of  clothing, 
splinters  of  wood  or  gunpowder.  Then  dip  a  cotton 
wad  into  a  quart  of  water  to  which  a  teaspoonful  of 
soda  has  been  added  or  make  a  suds  of  cold  water 
and  medicated  soap,  and  squeeze  it  out  over  the 
wound  so  that  the  water  will  trickle  on  it.  Replace 
any  torn  flesh  and  push  the  wound  together  as  well 
as  you  can.  Then  put  over  it  some  antiseptic  gauze 
and  bandage  it  as  soon  as  possible,  as  it  is  important 
not  to  get  any  germs  in  it.  Never  take  any  stitches. 
If  the  wound  is  on  the  head  rest  it  upon  a  pillow  or  on 
a  blanket  covered  with  a  clean  towel.  If  it  is  on  the 
arm  put  the  arm  across  the  chest  and  support  it  in  a 
sling.  If  it  is  on  the  leg  rest  the  leg  on  a  pillow  or 
blanket.  If  it  is  on  the  chest  raise  the  head  and 
shoulders  on  a  pillow  or  blanket,  so  that  the  person 
can  breathe  easily.  If  it  is  on  the  front  of  the  abdo- 
men have  the  person  lie  flat  on  his  back  with  his  knees 
drawn  up.  If  it  is  on  the  side  of  the  abdomen  turn 
him  a  little  toward  the  uninjured  side. 

Hiccoughs 

Take  a  deep  breath,  and  hold  it  as  long  as  pos- 
sible or  make  yourself  sneeze.     If  it  is  a  severe  attack 

248 


Remedies 

put  a  mustard  plaster,  or  a  cloth  moistened  with  hot 
vinegar  and  brandy  or  whiskey  on  your  stomach. 

Poison 

Remember  that  poisons  are  divided  into,  first, 
irritating  poisons,  or  those  where  the  symptoms  are 
wholly  where  the  irritation  is;  second,  general  poisons, 
where  the  whole  system  is  affected,  and  there  is  also 
a  local  irritation;  third,  general  poisons,  where  there 
is  no  local  irritation;  and  fourth,  narcotic,  or  sleep 
producing  poisons.  In  the  first  and  second  class  of 
cases,  if  it  is  an  alkah  poison  give  diluted  acids,  such 
as  vinegar,  to  neutrahze  the  alkaU,  and  diluted  alkali, 
such  as  soap,  to  neutrahze  an  acid  poison.  After 
this  have  the  person  drink  some  oil,  a  raw  egg,  or 
flour  and  water.  Then  give  ppiates  to  stop  the  pain, 
and  whiskey  or  brandy  for  any  weakness.  In  these 
cases  it  is  best  not  to  make  the  person  vomit.  In  the 
third  and  fourth  class  of  cases  have  the  person  vomit 
repeatedly.  (See  Emetics.)  Then  give  him  strong 
coffee  or  other  stimulating  drinks.  In  narcotic  pois- 
oning use  every  means  to  keep  the  person  awake,  and 
if  the  person  cannot  swallow  force  some  strong  coffee 
into  the  rectum  with  a  syringe. 

For  ivy  poisoning  mix  some  baking  powder  with 
water,  or  make  a  strong  lye  from  wood  ashes  and  use 
it  as  a  wash,  or  rub  on  wood  ashes.  Another  remedy 
is  to  boil  black-spotted  alder  bark  in  water,  and  then 
bathe  the  affected  part  with  it. 

For  poisonous  mushroom  ^ve  an  emetic,  then  take 
a  large  dose^  of  castor  oil,  and  stimulate .  the  blood 

251 


Remedies 

with  whiskey  or  brandy.  The  symptoms  of  this 
poison  are  pains  in  the  stomach,  purging,  dilated 
pupils,  muscular  weakness  and  mental  excitement. 
For  poisonous  fish  use  the  same  remedies  as  for 
poisonous  mushroom. 

Snow  or  Sun  Blindness 

Smear  your  face  about  the  eyes  with  charcoal. 

Sore  Throat 

Gargle  the  throat  with  hot  water  with  some  sah 
added,  and  then  bind  a  piece  of  flannel  or  a  woollen 
sock  around  it,  keeping  the  flannel  or  sock  on  until 
the  soreness  is  gone.  Tincture  of  iron  diluted  in 
water  and  gargled  is  also  a  good  remedy,  or  a  tea- 
spoonful  of  chlorate  of  potash  in  a  cup  of  water. 

Splints 

If  you  have  no  boards  or  cigar  boxes  make  your 
spUnts  of  twigs.  In  using  a  splint  have  it  narrower 
than  the  injured  member,  and  give  it  shape  by  pad- 
ding it  with  grass,  cotton,  pieces  of  cloth,  or  news- 
paper. If  the  upper  arm  is  broken  bind  the  arm 
to  the  side  of  the  body,  and  if  a  leg  is  broken  bind 
the  leg  to  the  other  leg,  after  putting  on  a  splint. 
In  putting  on  a  splint  be  direful  not  to  bandage  it 
so  tightly  that  it  interferes  with  the  circulation,  also 
keep  the  tips  of  the  fingers  and  toes  uncovered  so 
that  you  can  feel  of  them  occasionally  to  know  if  the 
circulation  is  good.  If  the  splint  causes  any  pain 
you  may  be  sure  that  it  is  put  on  wrong. 

252 


Remedies 

Sprains 

Bathe  a  sprain  in  as  hot  water  as  you  can  bear,  or 
have  some  one  stand  above  you  and  pour  cold  water 
on  it.  After  this  wrap  a  flannel  around  it  soaked 
with  hot  or  cold  water,  or  put  a  cloth  saturated  with 
arnica  and  water  around  it  and  then  cover  it  with 
dry  cloths.  As  soon  as  the  swelling  begins  to  sub- 
side bandage  it  and  keep  the  joint  quiet.  If  the 
ankle  is  sprained  keep  the  foot  in  a  raised  position  on 
a  pillow.  If  the  wrist  or  elbow  is  sprained  support 
the  arm  in  a  sling.  If  the  knee  is  sprained  bind  on  a 
splint. 

Sunstroke 

The  first  symptom  is  a  headache  followed  by  a 
heavy  feeling  in  the  pit  of  the  stomach,  dimmed  eye- 
sight, difficulty  in  breathing,  and  a  fever.  If  insen- 
sibility follows  lay  the  person  on  his  back  in  a  cool, 
shady  place,  with  his  head  slightly  raised.  Loosen 
his  clothing,  keep  his  head  cold  with  wet  cloths,  and 
pour  cold  water  on  his  face  and  chest  until  the  tem- 
perature of  his  body  is  lowered  and  the  face  becomes 
pale,  or  put  him  in  a  tub  of  hot  water.  Then  rub 
him  thoroughly,  and  give  him  stimulants. 

Transporting  a  Wounded  or  III  Person 

The  common  way  is  to  make  a  chair  by  two  per- 
sons taking  hold  of  each  other's  wrist  after  each  has 
taken  hold  of  his  own  wrist  with  his  other  hand,  or 
clasping  hands  and  putting  the  other  hand  around 

253 


Remedies 

the  other  person's  neck.  Another  way  is  to  tie  two 
blankets  together,  having  the  knots  on  the  shoulders 
of  the  two  bearers.  Another  way  is  to  take  two 
coats,  and  after  buttoning  them  up,  run  two  poles 
through  the  sleeves.  This  makes  a  good  stretcher 
for  the  man  to  lie  down  on  or  to  sit  on  with  his  back 
against  the  man  walking  in  front. 

Toothache 

Hold  a  clove  in  the  mouth,  or  some  warm  vinegar 
to  which  salt  has  been  added,  or  sprinkle  some  pepper 
and  ginger  on  cotton  and  put  it  in  the  cavity. 

Unconsciousness  Caused  by  an  Injury 

Lay  the  person  on  his  back  and  loosen  his  cloth- 
ing. Unless  the  injury  is  on  the  head  give  him  hot 
brandy  or  whiskey  with  water,  a  teaspoonful  once  a 
minute  for  ten  minutes.  If  he  still  remains  uncon- 
scious put  hot  cloths,  bottles  of  hot  water,  or  hot 
stones  wrapped  in  cloths  at  his  feet,  pit  of  his  stomach, 
and  in  the  armpits.  Be  careful  not  to  burn  him, 
which  one  is  very  apt  to  do.  If  the  unconsciousness 
is  from  a  blow  on  the  head  lay  the  person  on  his  back 
with  his  head  a  little  raised.  Put  warm  cloths  around 
the  body  if  he  is  cold,  and  cold  cloths  if  he  is  hot. 
Use  no  whiskey  or  other  alcoholic  stimulants.  Smell- 
ing salts  may  be  held  to  the  nose.  WTien  the  person 
begins  to  recover  give  him  tea  or  coffee,  but  see  that 
it  does  not  get  into  his  lungs. 


254 


Remedies 

Vomiting 

Have  the  person  lie  down  and  give  him  as  much 
hot  water  as  he  can  drink  in  order  to  wash  out  his 
stomach.  If  the  vomiting  does  not  stop  after  this  put 
a  mustard  plaster  on  the  pit  of  his  stomach. 


Waiting  for  the  Train 


255 


INDEX 


Accidents  in  camp,  230 
Artificial  flies,  100,  101,  111,  117 

Bait  for  trapping,  196 

Bait  for  trout,  91,  93 

Bait  fishing,  97,  106,  110 

Baiting  a  trap,  196,  218 

Bears,  198 

Bearings  in  the  woods,  83,  86 

Beaver,  212 

Birch  partridges,  177 

Bird  terms,  189 

Black  bass,  109 

Black  ducks,  21,  162 

Black  flies,  1 

Black-head  ducks,  167 

Black  powder,  11,  12,  20 

Blow-downs,  88,  229 

Blue-bill  ducks,  167 

Bobber  flies,  The,  100 

Bough  beds,  46 

Brook  trout,  89 

Brush  camps,  46 

Buckshot,  8,  14 

Camp  cooking,  60 
Camp  fires,  43 
Camp  stove,  31 
Camp  tongs,  79 
Camping-ground,  39,  46 
Canada  goose,  161 
Canada  grouse,  185 
Canvas-back  ducks,  21,  166 


Care  of  a  gun.  The,  13,  14,  21, 

224 
Carrying  a  gun,  22,  23,  224,  227 
Cartridges,  8,  9,  12,  224 
Casting,  94,  102,  111,  117 
Chilled  shot,  8 
Choke  barrel,  5,  14 
Clay  pigeons,  20 
Clothing  to  take,  26,  27,  36,  221 
Cocking  a  gun,  22 
Compass,  28,  83 
Cooking  outfit,  32,  79 
Coots,  168 
Cost  of  a  camping  trip,  35,  38, 

221 
Cylinder  barrel,  5 

Deadfalls,  199 

Deer,  122 

Deer  after  killing,  146 

Drag  flies,  100 

Drop  shooting,  186 

Drumming  of  partridges,  180 

Ducks,  160,  161 

Eider  ducks,  168 
Estimating  distances,  19 
Explosive  bullets,  10 
Express  bullets,  10 

Field  glasses,  29 

Firing  a  gun,  15,  16,  17,  18,  21, 

227 
Fishers,  206 


257 


Index 


Fishing  season  for 

Black  bass,  109 

Brook  trout,  96 

Lake  trout,  119 

Land-locked  salnion,  116 
Flies  to  use,  101 
Flight  of  birds.  The,  21,  188 
Flinching  when  shooting,  16 
¥\y  fishing,  97,  111 
Food  of 

Black  bass,  110 

Brook  trout,  93 

Deer,  127,  129 

Ducks,  161 

Grouse,  179 

Land-locked  salmon,  116 

Moose,  153 

Pickerel,  120 

Pike,  120 
Foxes,  215 

Gadwall  ducks,  21 

Gauge  of  barrel  of  gun,  The,  5 

Geese,  21,  161 

Grouse,  177 

Guns,  2,  4,  13,  14,  18,  224 

Habits  of 

Animals,  190 

Black  bass,  109 

Brook  trout,  92,  94 

Deer,  126 

Ducks,  173 

Geese,  173 

Grouse,  178,  183 

Lake  trout,  119 

Land-locked  salmon,  116 

Moose,  153 

Pickerel,  120 
Hackles,  100 
Hooks,  102,  111,  117 

Lake  fishing,  115,  119 
Lake  trout,  118 


Land-locked  salmon,  115 
Landing  a 

Black  bass,  113 

Brook  trout,  107 

Land-locked  salmon,  118 
Leader,  The,  99,  111,  117 
Lean-to  camps,  46 
Line,  The,  99,  111,  117 

Magnifjnng  glass,  29 

Mallard  ducks,  21,  162 

Martens,  206 

Matches,  34,  84,  223,  229 

Medicine  case,  29 

Medicines,  30,  230 

Merganser  ducks,  170 

Midges,  1 

Minks,  203 

Minnow  casting,  106,  111,  112, 

114 
Moccasins,  30,  222 
Moose,  152 

Multiplying  reel,  98,  111 
Mushroom  bullets,  9,  12 
Muskrats,  211 

Natural  point  blank,  11 

Open  shooting,  19 

Otter,  207 

Outfit,  The.     (See  Wangan.) 

Overshooting,  11,  18,  142 

Partridges,  177 

Parts  of  a  gun.  The,  4 

Patched  bullets,  10 

Permanent  camps,  51 

Pheasants,  178 

Pickerel,  120 

Pike,  120 

Pintail  ducks,  21 

Playing  a 

Black  bass,  112 
Brook  trout,  106,  107 


258 


Index 


Playing  a 

Lake  trout,  119 

Land-locked  salmon,  118 

Pickerel,  120 
Position  of  feet  when  firing,  15 
Provisions  to  carry,  34,  36 

Quail,  177 

Red  head  ducks,  167 
Reel,  The,  98,  117 
Rifles,  3,  9,  13 
Rod,  The,  96,  110,  117 
Ruddy  ducks,  168 

Self-winding  reel,  110 

Senses  of  trout,  The,  91 

Setting  a  trap,  192,  201,  218 

Setting  up  a  tent,  48 

Sheldrake  ducks,  170 

Shells,  8,  12 

Shot,  8,  9 

Shot-guns,  3,  224 

Sickness  in  camp,  223 

Sights,  The,  2,  6,  7,  8,  16,  17, 

224,  225 
Signal  fires,  87 
Signal  shots,  87 
Skunks,  214 
Sliding  poles,  192 
Smokeless  powder,  5,  11,  12,  20 
Snap  shooting,  19,  186 
Snell,  The,  100 
Snood,  The,  100 
Solitudes  of  the  woods,  The,  52, 

132 
Spawning  seasons,  93,  110,  116 
Speckled  trout,  89 


Spindle,  The,  199 
Sportsman,  The  real,  29,  132 
Spring  poles,  191 
Spruce  partridges,  185 
Still  hunter.  The,  132 
Still-hunting  deer,  130,  132 
Stream  fishing,  98,  101,  110 
Stretcher  flies.  The,  100 
Striking,  105,  112 
Surgical  instruments,  230 
Swing  of  the  gun,  21,  142,  173, 
186,  188 

Target  practice,  19,  227 

Teal,  163 

Tents,  30 

Trajectory  of  bullets,  10,  11 

Trapping,  190,  218 

Trolling,  114,  118 

Undershooting,  11 

Vacation  season.  The,  1 
Velocity  of  bullet,  9,  11,  12,  20 
Velocity  of  shot,  20 

Wangan,  The,  25,  31,  36 

Whip  of  flies,  100 

When  caught  out  over  night,  58 

When  in  sight  of  a  deer,  140 

When  lost  in  the  woods,  81 

White  perch,  119 

Widgeons,  21 

Wing  shooting,  19,  20,  173,  176, 

182,  186,  187,  227 
Wood  ducks,  21,  165 
Woodcraft,  2,  54,  132 


259 


Y\2^ 


THE  LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

Santa  Barbara 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW. 


RnDSEP2119872  3 


Series  9482 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  .B'-ARv  r;„:;L:TY 


A     000  590  015     4 


/^ 


